Rafael Benitez admitted he could not have dreamt Newcastle would smash through the Premier League's 40-point barrier with five games to spare.
The Magpies cemented their unlikely place in the top 10 with a 2-1 comeback victory over Arsenal at St James' Park on Sunday to ease themselves to 41 points and 13 clear of the drop zone.
That seemed a highly unlikely prospect back in December when a 1-0 away defeat by the Gunners saw the team complete a run of nine games which yielded just a single point.
Manager Benitez, who celebrates his 58th birthday on Monday, said: 'We were not expecting to be in the top 10, but at the same time I said we were dreaming, but we were awake and thinking that we could do it.