Newcastle 4-1 Preston: Toon back in the Premier League as Ayoze Perez brace, Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie secure promotion

Daily Mail | April 24, 2017

The DVD review of this season is unlikely to be a bestseller, even in these parts. In fact, 'Job Done' would perhaps be the most appropriate title.

Rafa Benitez, though, will argue that it matters not - and he is right. The Spaniard never promised to decorate this division with beautiful football and emerge from it in a blaze of goals and glory.

Preston's second-half collapse here did put a shine on their promotion party, but Newcastle haven't so much been limping towards the finishing line as crawling towards it in recent weeks.

Matt Ritchie roars in celebration after firing home from the penalty spot to make it 3-1

Ayoze Perez wheels away in celebration after giving Newcastle the lead against Preston

Perez's goal put the Toon on course to seal their return to the Premier League

Christian Atsu put Newcastle in front for the second time after Jordan Hugill's equaliser

The two goalscorers, Atsu and Perez, celebrate together after the second goal

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Brighton and Hove Albion	44	28	8	8	35	92
2	Newcastle United	44	27	7	10	40	88
3	Reading	44	24	7	13	1	79
4	Sheffield Wednesday	44	23	9	12	15	78
5	Huddersfield Town	43	24	6	13	2	78
6	Fulham	44	21	13	10	27	76
7	Leeds United	44	22	7	15	14	73
8	Norwich City	44	19	9	16	12	66
9	Brentford	44	18	9	17	12	63
10	Derby County	44	17	12	15	2	63
11	Preston North End	44	16	13	15	2	61
12	Aston Villa	44	16	13	15	0	61
13	Cardiff City	44	16	11	17	-2	59
14	Barnsley	44	15	12	17	0	57
15	Wolverhampton Wanderers	43	15	10	18	-2	55
16	Ipswich Town	44	13	16	15	-6	55
17	Bristol City	44	14	9	21	-6	51
18	Burton Albion	44	13	12	19	-12	51
19	Queens Park Rangers	44	14	8	22	-12	50
20	Nottingham Forest	44	13	9	22	-11	48
21	Birmingham City	44	11	14	19	-22	47
22	Blackburn Rovers	44	10	15	19	-15	45
23	Wigan Athletic	44	10	11	23	-16	41
24	Rotherham United	44	5	6	33	-58	21

They have, in all likelihood, surrendered the title to Brighton, but Benitez has said from the outset that an automatic return to the Premier League was only ever the priority.