One of the teams performed a slightly self-conscious lap of honour at the end of this match, but not the justified one. The bouquets and plaudits deserved to be thrown and offered to Chelsea, whose players have made what could have been a dismal, depressing season for English football memorable for the right reasons.

Had the European Championship debacle been followed by disappointment in Europe and a tired, predictable chase for the Barclays Premier League title, the 2007-08 season might have fizzled out, a damp squib from every angle. Instead, the first all-English final in the Champions League will be preceded by the most exciting final day of the league in the modern era, with Chelsea locked on points at the top of the table with Manchester United, with all the delicious permutations that implies.

No Premier League season has ever been this close, indeed, only two have gone to the final day with the destination of the title still to be decided, and statisticians were forced to trawl back through four decades to find a final set of fixtures as beautifully poised.

The last comparable date was May 11, 1968, when Manchester United and Manchester City were joined at the hip on 56 points at the top of the old first division. Manchester United lost 2-1 at home to Sunderland, Manchester City won 4-3 away to Newcastle United and the prize went to Maine Road (although United stole their thunder, and how, in the European Cup final some days later). There have been other occasions when rival teams have played games in hand at a later date, collected the trophy from a beach as Derby County did in 1972, or played catch-up in an incredible head-to-head match as Arsenal managed to do away to Liverpool in 1989, but in terms of nail-biting spectacle, people with radios glued to their ears, false alarms and the potential for emotional turmoil at opposite ends of the country, this is as good as it gets.

Bookmakers, with their flint-hearted dedication to the bottom line, make United odds-on favourites, thanks to a vastly superior goal difference, but one slip, one hint of nervousness from the league leaders away to Wigan Athletic and Chelsea are in position to take advantage when they play at home to Bolton Wanderers. These three points at St James’ Park ensured that Sir Alex Ferguson will be made to work to the end of his 38 matches if he is to retain his title, which is as it should be, but so rarely is.

Set against Chelsea’s achievement in turning what many regarded as a foregone conclusion into something akin to Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty fighting to the death on Reichenbach Falls, Newcastle’s lap of thanks to the supporters for their continued indulgence in treating twelfth place as a big whoop seemed somewhat out of place. After Michael Owen, the Newcastle striker, was denied by John Terry’s clearance off the line in the 28th minute, Newcastle were outplayed in the second half once Chelsea’s players had life breathed into them by Avram Grant, the first-team coach, during the interval.

Until then, it had been a strangely listless affair, with Chelsea seemingly unconvinced that the title was within their sights, and failing to produce even a hint of a goalscoring chance before the 34th minute, when Michael Ballack shot wide after failing to bring a pass by Michael Essien under control in a good position. Nicolas Anelka was equally ineffectual two minutes later and when Chelsea’s players returned to the dressing-room it was to be greeted with the rare sight of a furious Grant, reminding them that this was no time for half-measures.

A different Chelsea then emerged, with faint hearts such as Florent Malouda suddenly efficient, particularly with set-pieces from the right. In the 49th minute, Malouda’s corner was headed wide by Ricardo Carvalho, in the 53rd minute an identical delivery led to Terry, the Chelsea captain, hitting the bar with a header. Shaken by Chelsea’s revival, Abdoulaye Faye, the Newcastle defender, dived in when confronted with Malouda on the run and provided Chelsea with a sufficient gap to conjure a grandstand finish next weekend.

The free kick was crafted or cock-up, depending on your point of view. Malouda stepped over the ball, Didier Drogba stepped up, hesitated as if slightly confused, took a pace back and curled in the ball, directly on to the head of Ballack, who had lost Alan Smith, his marker. Steve Harper, the Newcastle goalkeeper, had no chance and, the odd skirmish around the Chelsea penalty area aside, the visiting team barely looked troubled after that. Twice, in the 71st minute, Terry cleared and Newcastle returned fire, but on the first occasion Obafemi Martins shot wide and on the second Owen could not get a touch on an effort by Nicky Butt.

After that, having weathered the briefest of storms, Chelsea set course for home. The introduction of Frank Lampard as a replacement for the woeful Anelka — he must be the only player who looks worse having left Bolton to be a Champions League finalist — paid dividends and, in the 81st minute, an exquisite exchange of passes, of a variety we are frequently told Chelsea cannot play, ended with Lampard slipping the ball through to Malouda, who scored the goal his second-half performance deserved.

The sole worry for Chelsea took the form of a second-half injury to Carvalho, the central defender, who was adequately replaced by Alex in the short term earlier in the season. Long term, he is crucial if Chelsea are to give the next three weeks their best shot and the mild consternation on the Chelsea bench when he insisted on walking from the field, rather than being carried, suggested as much. Tiny margins have never been so important. One chance, one miss, one goal, one mistake, might decide it.

So take a good look, missus, there will never be another one like this. Well, not for 40 years, maybe.

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