Newcastle verging on cup glory for the first time in 70 years
By Johnny Murray
Anthony Gordon sent a packed and electric St James Park into delirium as he struck past David Raya early into the second half to put Newcastle into an emphatic 4 goal lead as they cruised to their second league cup final in the last three years.
Arsenal went into the tie hoping to claw back the two-goal deficit they surrendered in London just under a month ago, however it wasn’t to be, as the last nights 2-0 triumph for Newcastle mirrored the prior result as the Magpies went flying on to Wembley.
Newcastle United players on the field by Stu Forster Getty Images
The game was never really a contest as Aleksander Isak had a brilliant early effort chalked off for offside before Jacob Murphy slotted into an open goal after another excellent piece of play by Isak. Arsenal had a few chances in between, the main one being an effort from Martin Odegaard that struck the post but nothing could stick for the Gooners before Anthony Gordon doubled the lead just before the hour mark to seal the deal.
The result may raise a few eyebrows and come as a surprise for some given the respective teams recent form, Newcastle had suffered consecutive defeats at home at the hands of Bournemouth and Fulham and Arsenal were still riding the high of their 5-1 demolition of Man City, which almost felt a bit of a turning point for the title chasing prospects and ambitions.
However, most Arsenal’s players were yet to come down from Sundays triumph and that was their undoing. Their whole defence were a shell of themselves and the usually indomitable force of Gabriel and William Saliba were tormented by Isak, and in the middle of the park they couldn’t keep up with the engines of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaires who both dropped scintillating performances.
Back in February 2023, in the same competition Newcastle were defeated, quite comfortably by Manchester United in a day of immense disappointment and pain for the Toon faithful who will be looking for a change of fate this time round.
Newcastle United fan by Paul Ellis Getty Images
Newcastle now face either Spurs or Liverpool in the final as they aim to bring home silverware to their supportive community that desire nothing more.