Newcastle defeated Arsenal 4-0 on aggregate to guarantee their place in the Carabao Cup final, with goals from Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy.
Newcastle hasn’t won a major trophy in almost 60 years, with the exception of their 2017 Championship promotion. However, both of their performances against Mikel Arteta’s team were worthy of a chance to break their trophy drought on a night when they handled the situation brilliantly.
Alexander Isak ran through and scored a decisive goal just four minutes into the second leg at St. James’ Park, giving the Magpies a 2-0 aggregate lead going into the match. However, his attempt was disallowed for offside.
Eddie Howe’s team, however, was not deflated by that. On minute 19, Murphy tapped home after Isak’s powerful attempt had gone off the post, increasing the aggregate advantage to three.
As Arsenal’s prospects of an incredible comeback dwindled, the Swedish striker and fellow forward Gordon had their normally arrogant defense trembling under the boisterous atmosphere, wearing down William Saliba and Gabriel.
Gordon was the one who finally put the match out of reach, scoring seven minutes after halftime after some disastrous defensive play. This gave the home crowd a chance to celebrate as their team easily defeated the second-place team in the Premier League.
In fact, the victory also extends Newcastle’s impressive record over The Gunners this season, triumphing in all three of their meetings, while keeping clean sheets in each.
The Magpies will face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the final at Wembley Stadium in March. Ange Postecoglou’s side – also looking to spell an end to their own trophy drought – lead 1-0 ahead of Thursday’s clash at Anfield.
