Nick Pope denied an Ousmane Dembele penalty in the first half, while Harvey Barnes wasted two prime opportunities in a second half that saw Willock's goal disallowed. This outcome leaves Newcastle finishing the season in 12th place, setting the stage for us to follow their path through the Champions League knockout rounds.

Teams finishing in 11th or 12th positions will compete against one of the sides that landed in 21st and 22nd positions. This means Newcastle can only be matched up with French club Monaco (21st) or Azerbaijani club Qarabag (22nd) in the play-off round.

Furthermore, if Newcastle succeeds in that match, they can only confront the teams that ended fifth or sixth during the league stage in the round of 16. Therefore, should Newcastle advance to the round of 16, they would face either Barcelona (fifth) or Chelsea (sixth).

All attention will be on Friday's play-off round draw in Nyon, Switzerland, as Newcastle anticipates their challengers, though they can begin to strategize their route through the tournament to some degree.

The Champions League play-off round is set for February, with the first leg occurring on either February 17 or 18 and the second leg on February 25 or 26.

Newcastle will play away in the first leg before welcoming their opponents at St James' Park for the return match.

“We had to contend with not only the rivals, who are exceptional, but also the decisions that went against us,” Howe told TNT Sports after the game.

“They’re (PSG) an exceptional team - they don’t require assistance from anyone.”