Remarkable Eddie Howe stat shows anything is possible ahead of dream Newcastle week

Beating Chelsea could be just the start of an epic journey

Eddie Howe arrives at Stamford Bridge

My what a grand way to start a momentous week living amongst the peaks of football's Himalayas!

The Mighty Mags beat the Club World Champions in their own Stamford Bridge courtyard before moving on to Barcelona for a Champions League winner-takes-all showdown and finally ending up at St James Park for the epic return of a Premier League derby with Sunderland where revenge is high on the agenda.

After all that is completed United's troops, exhausted mentally and physically after a relentless fixture pile up all season, will collapse into a most welcome three week break.

That victory achieved against Chelsea was staggering and to be joyously celebrated for two main reasons.

First it was only United's second success in that particular square of London in 38 years - Chelsea had won 11 and drawn the other of our previous dozen contests with them at Stamford Bridge. And to heighten the delight and underline it's unexpectedness this was the first time in Eddie Howe's 171 Premier League matches as United manager he had started a game without at least one of his famed midfield trio of Bruno, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.

Howe cobbled together a reserve centre-of-the-park threesome consisting of Jacob Ramsey, Joe Willock and Nick Woltemade against Chelsea's assembled expensive diamonds and somehow concocted a splendid victory.

He did it too with a defence which had been as rock solid as a balloon in a gale force wind at home but blocked out Chelsea for a rare clean sheet.

Ironically it featured two young full-backs Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall who learned the basics at Stamford Bridge before going on to blossom on Tyneside. Both must have greatly impressed watching England boss Thomas Tuchel with Tino's devastating through ball cutting the home side to bits for United's goal.

It was a reminder if we needed it on Livramento's first start in three months of what he brings to the party.

Malick Thiaw threw off the nightmare of conceding a 96th-minute penalty equaliser against Barca refusing to let it intimidate and became the Rock of Gibraltar.

United defended manfully to gain maximum reward and that meant defending from the front which both goalscorer Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes did on a regular basis.

Tuchel loves the relentless endeavours of Gordon at his best and alerted that England's boss was doing his final checks before the World Cup, he became the Anthony of old. All action, a pain in the backside to the opposition both offensively and defensively.

How Jacob Murphy, a lifelong Newcastle fan, will remember the day he skippered United to an epic victory on a ground where normally they get tucked up in bed.

We go on to Barcelona in fine fettle unlike Chelsea who must face Paris Saint-Germain three goals down and further deflated by a home defeat. Can we continue to defy? Can we gain an even greater away victory at the Nou Camp and top it off with a derby victory in the PL that is well overdue? We can dream.

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