Newcastle's Boxing Day exploits could not be witnessed by the vast majority of football fans in Saudi Arabia as the country's government continues to block a key signal controlling access to Premier League football.
The Magpies, who are owned by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, climbed to second in the English top flight with a 3-0 win at Leicester on Monday, but almost everyone based in Saudi Arabia would have been unable to see it.
The country's government has blocked the signal for beIN SPORTS' TOD streaming service since an hour before the World Cup opening match on November 20.