Newcastle marked their first home game in the Champions League since 2003 in some style, thrashing Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in front of a rocking St James' Park crowd. It was a result that sent shockwaves through the entire footballing world, and one that ensured Eddie Howe's side sat top of Group F with four points after two matches.
That fateful October night should have been the start of something special. The Magpies returned to Europe's flagship competition after a 20-year absence on the back of a hard-earned fourth place Premier League finish in 2022-23, only to be cruelly drawn against PSG, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
After overpowering the French champions in such impressive fashion, for an all-too brief moment, Newcastle looked like they could defy all the odds by winning the so-called 'Group of Death'. PSG have underachieved in the Champions League for many years, but very few teams have blown them away, or indeed managed to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet.
From that position, Newcastle really should have qualified for the last-16, or at the very least secured a third-place spot that would have seen them playing Europa League football in the new year. Alas, by the end of their last group game against Milan, their continental dream was up in smoke, with second-half goals from Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze giving the Italian giants a 2-1 victory on Tyneside.
The question is: how did it all go so wrong? Well, there is no doubt that bad luck played a role, with controversial VAR decisions and an unprecedented injury crisis forcing Howe to rip up his usual playbook.
But the reality is, Newcastle only have themselves to blame for a disastrous end to their European campaign, and more misery will be on the cards unless Howe takes drastic measures to address their alarming recent decline...