Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Result and reaction from Carabao Cup as Isak and Gordon give Magpies advantage
Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle: Eddie Howe’s men secured a strong lead ahead of the second leg next month
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Your support makes all the difference.Newcastle United took one step closer to the Wembley with a superb 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium.
Eddie Howe named an attacking line-up for the Magpies and they showed their intent from the start with a high press and a willingness to get men into the final third when in possession. Their early dominance threatened to be a false dawn though as Arsenal swiftly played through them to set Gabriel Martinelli up with a brilliant chance to open the scoring only for the winger to strike the post.
Alexander Isak was more clinical at the other end. He ran onto the end of a Jacob Murphy pass to slot past David Raya and give Newcastle the lead before half-time.
After the restart, Anthony Gordon arrived in the box at the right time as Isak had another shot stopped by Raya only for the goalkeeper to serve up an easy tap-in to Gordon. Howe then made changes and set the team up defensively.
Arsenal threw everything at them but couldn’t cut the deficit and will have a tough task ahead of the return leg at St. James’ Park.
Relive the action from the Emirates Stadium with our live blog below:
Can Newcastle reach the final?
This is only Newcastle’s third appearance in the League Cup semi-finals, but they’ve progressed to the final in each of the previous two (1975/76 vs Tottenham, 2022/23 vs Southampton).
Eddie Howe heaps praise on Sven Botman after return from injury at Tottenham
Eddie Howe has praised the extraordinary effort of Newcastle defender Sven Botman after he marked his eagerly-anticipated return with a strong display in a 2-1 win at Tottenham.
Fabian Schar’s suspension meant Botman was thrust into the Magpies line-up to make his first competitive appearance since March following anterior cruciate ligament damage.
Eddie Howe heaps praise on Sven Botman after return from injury at Tottenham
Sven Botman suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in March.
Goals galore for the Gunners
Arsenal have scored 11 goals in their three League Cup matches this season, netting at least three each time. They’ve never scored 3+ goals in four consecutive games in the competition.
Arsenal’s injuries mean they must adapt
Mikel Arteta believes his players are learning to adapt to different situations and positions as he attempts to limit the negative affect of long-term injuries on his squad.
The Arsenal manager said: “We discussed the situation and the fact that we have to use players in positions that they probably haven’t played in before.
“We are learning a lot from that and what I learn especially is the willingness of the team; you speak to any individual and ask him to play anywhere on the field and they say: ‘I’m there’. That’s great as well to learn from your players.
“It’s a good learning process, not only tactically but also preparation and training with very few players. Today we had seven or eight players with us just to fill the squad which isn’t normal but it’s a weird way to learn, but I’ll take it.
“I cannot change it so let’s take the things that we can get out of it to be better.”
Arteta on stopping Alexander Isak
The Arsenal boss says that Newcastle’s in-form striker is a ‘top-player’ and that his team will attempt to minimise his impact this evening.
Arteta said: “He’s a top player in top form scoring a lot of goals and we try to minimise the strength of the opposition. That’s a big part of the plan when we’re playing any opponent.”
Arsenal line-up versus Newcastle
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Partey, Odegaard; Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard
Newcastle line-up versus Arsenal
Newcastle XI: Dubravka; Livramento, Botman, Burn, Hall; Willock, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Eddie Howe hits back at critics of Newcastle’s approach: ‘We are here to win’
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe does not care what people outside of the city think of his team as he plots another assault on Carabao Cup glory.
The Magpies have climbed to fifth in the Premier League after a run of five successive victories, two of them at Manchester United and Tottenham, to rekindle memories of their surge into the Champions League places two seasons ago.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and then Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp were angered by Newcastle’s approach during that campaign, prompting Howe to say: “We are not here to be popular and to get other teams to like us. We are here to compete.”
Eddie Howe hits back at critics of Newcastle’s approach: ‘We are here to win’
The Newcastle boss is happy to see his team “ruffling feathers” once again ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final
First leg woes for the Gunners
Arsenal have progressed from three of their last five League Cup semi-final ties. However, they haven’t won the first leg in any of their last seven semi-finals in the competition.
Can Newcastle take advantage of that tonight?
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