Newcastle’s urgency from the first whistle and a frenetic atmosphere in the St. James’ Park stands made for an exciting opening.
Everton settled the quicker of the two teams with Iliman Ndiaye causing the Magpies problems down their right side, whilst Anthony Gordon’s speculative effort at the other end was the only half-chance of note during the first 15 minutes.
Sandro Tonali began to run the game from midfield, though the first shot on target would come from Everton via Carlos Alcaraz’s direct free-kick, soon followed by a fiercely hit drive from James Garner that brought the best out of Nick Pope.
Jordan Pickford had to be at full stretch to parry Tonali’s long-range effort on 30 minutes, and he was alert enough to keep out Alexander Isak’s follow-up.
England’s No.1 was called upon once more to keep two Sven Botman chances out of harm's way, with his opposite number tipping over a bullet header from Alcaraz as both teams looked for a breakthrough that ultimately didn’t arrive before half-time.
A superb run from Ndiaye carved open the Newcastle midfield just after the break, and as the Toffees continued to seize the initiative, the tension in the stadium was palpable.
The decibel levels rose again, approaching the hour mark, and though the Magpies were on the front foot by then, Everton were still holding firm.
On 64 minutes, a wonderful Alcaraz header silenced the home support, and that seemed to give David Moyes’ side something extra as they dug in amidst a barrage of Newcastle attacks.
The final 20 minutes saw Everton’s box peppered with crosses from both wings and a persistence in attack that has become a hallmark of the way Eddie Howe likes his teams to play.
An inability to find the net, due in no small part to Pickford's heroics, however, saw them lose the game, but they will still be able to celebrate UCL qualification thanks to Villa’s failure to get a result at Old Trafford.
Everton, meanwhile, end their 2024/25 campaign on a high note thanks to an 11th win of the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jordan Pickford (Everton)