Newcastle Defeats Arsenal to Reach League Cup Final, Eye First Title in 70 Years

Newcastle Defeats Arsenal to Reach League Cup Final, Eye First Title in 70 Years

Newcastle United is headed to the English League Cup final, with another chance to end its 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

The Saudi-owned club triumphed over Arsenal 2-0 in the second leg of the semifinals on Wednesday, advancing with a 4-0 aggregate score. Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon netted the goals at a raucous St. James' Park.

Newcastle will face either Tottenham or Liverpool in the final on March 16 at Wembley Stadium. Tottenham holds a 1-0 advantage after the first leg, with the return match set for Thursday at Anfield.

For Newcastle, this marks another opportunity to claim its first piece of silverware since being acquired by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund in 2021. Their last major trophy was the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969, and their most recent domestic title was the FA Cup in 1955.

Newcastle reached the 2023 League Cup final but was defeated 2-0 by Manchester United.

Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes expressed optimism after the win against Arsenal, saying, "Play like that, and we can dream big. It would be amazing in my first season as captain to lift a trophy. It's my dream."

Arsenal, coming off a 5-1 victory over Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, sought to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg at Emirates Stadium last month. However, Mikel Arteta's side struggled to handle the electric atmosphere at St. James' Park. Their usually solid defense looked shaky, nearly conceding early when Alexander Isak was played through on goal and scored, only for the effort to be ruled offside following a video review. This was announced to the crowd by the referee using a wireless microphone, a practice being trialed in the League Cup ahead of its potential use in the Premier League.

After Martin Ødegaard struck the post for Arsenal, Newcastle took the lead in the 19th minute when Isak's shot hit the post, and Murphy pounced on the rebound to score.

Arsenal’s hopes of a comeback took a further hit when Gabriel Martinelli was forced off with a muscle injury before halftime. Gordon then all but sealed Newcastle's spot in the final by scoring the second goal after Declan Rice was dispossessed by Fabian Schär just outside the penalty area. The ball fell to Gordon, who calmly finished past Arsenal's goalkeeper, David Raya.

Arsenal, two-time winners of the League Cup, was aiming to reach the final for the first time since 2018 when they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City.

As the game wound down, Newcastle fans taunted Arteta, singing, “Mikel Arteta, it must be the ball," a playful jab at the Arsenal manager's complaint after the first leg about the League Cup ball being different from the Premier League ball, which he claimed contributed to his team's missed chances.

Gordon also appeared to throw shade at Arsenal post-match, referencing their previous taunts of Manchester City's Erling Haaland, saying, "It's important for us to stay humble now. It'll be a big occasion, but it's still far away."

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