Eddie Howe believes Newcastle United have rhythm after beating Chelsea 2-0 at St James' Park on Sunday

Newcastle United made it look way harder than it needed to be against 10-man Chelsea on Sunday at St James' Park, but they got the job done.

Roaring into an early lead with just two minutes on the clock it was looking like it was going to be a good day in the Newcastle sunshine, and then on 35 minutes when Nicolas Jackson was dismissed after a VAR checked deemed he'd employed some UFC-like shenanigans, we were sure that it would be a good day at the office for the Magpies.

And while the scoreline suggests that it was just that, the reality was that Chelsea were by far the better team in the second half as Newcastle looked like the side with one fewer man on the pitch.

However, it's about the points, not the performance, and Newcastle came away with all three, putting daylight between themselves and their opponents and leapfrogging Manchester City in the table.

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Eddie Howe believes his team have got used to the 'big occasion' now

Eddie Howe praised his team for managing the pressure in these final games with each one bigger than the last in terms of the race for Champions League, telling Match of the Day 2 that he believes his side have found a rhythm.

"I think there's an expectation now that every game here is a huge game. I think our history certainly helps us in that, we've had some huge games; Champions League, two cup finals.

"You get used to that rhythm, today I feel we dealt with that really well because we knew how important that result was, but you can't let that sway you from the core things that are important."

We want front-row tickets to the Mikel Arteta head loss if Arsenal finish lower than second

Two games remain for Newcastle now: a visit to the Emirates on Sunday to take on Arsenal, who dropped points again on Sunday, followed by a home tie against Everton, who are one of the most in-form sides in the Premier League right now.

Neither game is going to be easy, but if Eddie Howe can keep his side believing and playing the way they are, we could pick up six more points and secure a second-place finish in the Premier League.

Imagine finishing second this season after the bizarre start we made to the campaign, and also the fact that Arsenal have flip-flopped between first and second all season, and they could drop out of the top two with a game to go. The Mikel Arteta meltdown would be joyous, you could sell tickets!