February 6 – Newcastle United moved a step closer to ending a 56-year wait to win a major trophy as they secured a place in the Carabao Cup final with another 2-0 victory over Arsenal, spurred on by a feverish soundtrack courtesy of St James’s Park.
Eddie Howe’s side, who already held a 2-0 advantage from the semi-final first leg, completed the second part of the assignment on Wednesday night, and will now face Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on March 16.
Off the back of a 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City on Sunday, and with their squad virtually unchanged, Arsenal fans would have hoped for a more encouraging display, but the defensive duo of William Saliba and Gabriel simply could not keep a lid on star forwards Antony Gordon and Alexander Isak.
The high line had something to do with it. Chasing the first-leg deficit, Arsenal had to take the front foot—something Newcastle had clearly prepared for. For the first time this season, Howe’s side set up in a 5-4-1 without the ball, inviting pressure and waiting to strike on the counter.
It didn’t take long for the plan to fall into place. Swedish striker Isak scored after just four minutes, but it was ruled out for offside. He later hit the post which rebounded into the path of teammate Jacob Murphy who finished first time to open the scoring on the night.
The Magpies’ second goal came through a mistake from Arsenal keeper David Raya, whose short pass was intercepted and set up a virtually unopposed shot from Gordon which nestled neatly into the bottom left corner.
This Arsenal side has become Premier League powerhouse and could still win the title or even the Champions League, but nights like this only reinforce the feeling that something is missing—even with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus returning from injury.
The club chose not to sign a striker in January, believing the right player was either unavailable or too expensive. With long-term targets like RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško and Newcastle’s Isak out of reach, they stuck with what they had – a gamble that will define their season.
Watching Isak torment their backline on Wednesday was a painful reminder of what they lack.
Arteta’s side will look to recover with a warm-weather training break in Dubai which will feel a lifetime away from the February northeast chill.
“We need to swallow this one, it is a tough one,” said Arteta.
“We had a lot of expectations. We knew the difficulty of the task because of the result we brought from London. but there is nothing we can do right now. What we could do was on the pitch a few minutes ago, now we have to look forward.
“First of all, I think this is going to be a painful one. While we are in Dubai, recharge and go again because we still have a lot to play [for].”
The Magpies will face one of Spurs and Liverpool in the final, to be decided tonight. Spurs go into the tie armed with a 1-0 aggregate lead but will have to stave off an in-form Liverpool attack combined with the Anfield atmosphere.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have struggled for form in recent weeks – but the whiff of silverware being so close may be enough to push them up a gear and into March’s final.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1738845047labto1738845047ofdlr1738845047owedi1738845047sni@g1738845047niwe.1738845047yrrah1738845047