Arsenal sink Newcastle to seal Champions League berth

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League as Declan Rice's thunderbolt sealed a 1-0 win against top five rivals Newcastle on Sunday.

Rice's brilliant second half strike at the Emirates Stadium guaranteed Arsenal will compete in Europe's elite club competition next season.

Mikel Arteta's side ended a five-game winless streak to avoid a nervous last day of the season next weekend, with the battle for top five places no longer a concern for the Gunners.

Second-placed Arsenal are likely to finish as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season after failing to keep pace with champions Liverpool.

The north Londoners, who lost in the Champions League semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain, have now gone five years without a trophy.

Despite another season of frustration for Arsenal, they still look the most likely challengers for Liverpool's crown next term.

In a pointed message to Arsenal's transfer chiefs after their failure to sign a striker in January, Arteta said: "Finish the season, go to the beach and make sure the ones upstairs do what they have to do.

"Our dream needs to not get blurry. What we have done to sustain the level this season with everything that has happened (with injuries) is incredible."

Third-placed Newcastle are above fourth-placed Chelsea and fifth-placed Aston Villa on goal difference.

Sixth-placed Manchester City would go above Eddie Howe's team if they avoid defeat in their game in hand at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Nottingham Forest, in seventh place, are only one point behind League Cup winners Newcastle in a remarkably close race to reach the Champions League.

Newcastle will have to beat Everton at St James' Park in their last game of the season on May 25 to seal qualification.

"It was one of our strongest away performances but you have to score and we didn't. Only got ourselves to blame for that," Howe said.

"You want it to be in your own hands. We back ourselves at home and under pressure but there will be all the build-up to the game."

The Magpies had beaten Arsenal three times this season, but they were without injured leading scorer Alexander Isak and the Swede's absence proved costly.

Bruno Guimaraes' close-range strike was parried by David Raya after the Arsenal keeper's miscued pass to Sandro Tonali had started the Newcastle attack.