The one thing Arsenal are missing? Their own Alexander Isak

Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle: Eddie Howe’s men take the advantage into the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg thanks to their star forward

A night that was about whether you could take your chances; for goals, and maybe for finals. The overly cynical might even say it was for showing what you can really do in front of a certain audience, especially in regards to Alexander Isak. Arsenal’s widely reported interest in the Swede added another strand to a narrative-rich Carabao Cup semi-final, and his presence ended up deciding how this 2-0 win went.

Newcastle United would rightly bristle at that being the focus of a match that might end up sending them to Wembley for the second time in three years. Arsenal do still have a second leg in a month to overturn this, and Mikel Arteta said he has “full belief” his team “can go up there and do it”.

They need more than belief, though. They need finishing, and a composure that will have to withstand anan intimidating St James’ Park, where the crowd will see this trophy as being about so much more than this trophy. They will see it as another potential end to one of the longest quests in British sport, as Newcastle have infamously gone without domestic silverware since 1955.

“I don’t think you can think like that when you’re me,” Howe smiled afterwards. Everyone around him won't be able to stop thinking about Wembley... and more.

The Saudi Arabian project has felt like it has needed a lift after a long lull, and this might be it. Recent issues have fed a debate over whether the controversial ownership are overseeing the club in the fulsome manner they have with other projects, but their willingness to spend what they can has given Newcastle one of the finest players in world football right now.

There are few that can match Isak’s form. He is sensational, as effective as he is joyously effervescent. There is a real spark to his play.

Alexander Isak opens the scoring for Newcastle with a fine finish past David Raya (Getty Images)

Second scorer Anthony Gordon described him as “the best striker in Europe” at the moment. There’s no doubting his value to Newcastle, with Howe even admitting he had to take Isak off “because he's so important to us”. “We can't lose him,” added the boss.

He very much won this first leg, scoring one goal and setting up the other, with that impact all the more pronounced given the obvious context. Arsenal are looking for another forward and badly need one, with that so clearly displayed in the number of chances they missed.

Arteta was directly asked about Isak’s performance, but conspicuously refused to specifically discuss him, instead generally talking about “real quality up front”.

That was obviously visible in Isak, and a direct contract in one specific area of the pitch. On 38 minutes, just in front of David Raya’s penalty spot, Isak displayed supreme opportunism to latch onto Jacob Murphy’s touch and make it 1-0. It was brilliant forward play.

In the same area, half an hour later, Kai Havertz was presented with the sort of cross any number nine would dream of. The ball instead hit his shoulder and bobbled wide. There is an obvious quip to be made here about false nines. Havertz remains a fine player for Arsenal, but it has long been obvious that they could do with another option there.

In between those two moments, to make it worse for Arteta, Arsenal missed even more chances while Gordon took one for Newcastle. That was another goal largely against the run of play, and another where Isak’s ability to take the ball and move with it while evading challenges with pure smoothness was so glorious.

“He looked free,” Howe said. “His pace and movement caused them problems.”

That almost casual ability to do damage especially stood out against the increasing angst Arsenal were enduring in their own attacks. Their productivity from set-pieces deserted them, as both Jurrien Timber and William Saliba headed over from close range, with the centre-half also bringing a point-blank save from Martin Dubravka. Gabriel Martinelli also hit the post when the goal was at his mercy.

Gabriel Martinelli struck the post in a brilliant first half chance (Action Images via Reuters)

It all added up to 47 touches in the Newcastle box, but none were meaningful. Arteta simply said “it’s not the result that reflects the story of the game, but it shows the efficiency they had.”

It is why the tie is all the more relevant to wider themes of the campaign. The Carabao Cup quickly becomes dismissible for clubs as soon as they go out of it, but Arsenal are still in it, and this is looking like an opportunity that is passing. Although they have far bigger concerns, it is the chance to win a trophy just when talk rises about this team needing to show they can get over the line. Arteta of course won the FA Cup in his very first season, but that was with a largely different group.

This group meanwhile suffered the same issues that have afflicted their title challenge. They got agitated in front of goal, as if allowing the increasing number of misses to affect composure. Towards the end, in front of a massed Newcastle defence, they were driving speculative long shots at goal. Arteta even remarked on the ball used in the competition, although he isn't the first to do that.

Absences didn’t help, in what has become another theme of the campaign. Raheem Sterling, the summer signing up front, was left on the bench. Arteta did still play a strong team though, one that should still have enough to beat a side below them in the table.

Anthony Gordon was in the right place to turn in a second goal for Newcastle (Action Images via Reuters)

It is admittedly a side rising with some speed, though. This is why there was greater value for Newcastle than just the chance to finally win a trophy again. This victory will have only propelled recent momentum: a seventh win in a row, a 10th goal in nine for Isak.

Given that Isak also scored the headed winner in an October meeting of these two sides, it only fosters the sense that he and Newcastle do look like they have Arsenal’s number. The London side might well point to the number of chances they missed but that is often part of such dynamics. It was a trend that started between these two teams back in 2022, and Newcastle do have that feel again. They look as feisty and intense as they did in that period, albeit with one major difference. Isak has gone to another level. Newcastle look like they are going to another Carabao Cup final.

Arsenal could do with some of Isak’s quality, or just a bit more up front, to prevent that. He was the difference, on a night that threatened to become the same sort of story for Arteta.