Newcastle cruise into Carabao Cup final after swatting aside sorry Arsenal.

A 2-0 first-leg win at the Emirates put Newcastle within striking distance of a second final appearance in three seasons, and with only four minutes remaining, Eddie Howe’s side appeared to be one step closer to that goal. Breaking quickly following Arsenal’s goal kick, the hosts passed the ball to Alexander Isak, who smashed an attempt high into the net with exquisite precision. However, following a VAR review, referee Simon Hooper confirmed the offside verdict to an angry St James’ Park crowd. Soon after, the Gunners almost halved the aggregate deficit when Martin Odegaard clipped a spinning ball onto the post, a miss that was promptly punished by the home side.

Unfazed by his disallowed goal, Isak seized onto a Martin Dubravka corner kick, playing a one-two with Anthony Gordon before sprinting through and striking the post, leaving David Raya caught off guard and unable to block Jacob Murphy’s cushioned follow-up.

The visitors now faced a mountain to climb, and with Leandro Trossard denied by a low reflex save before halftime, the Gunners had only 45 minutes to salvage their League Cup campaign. Arsenal were looking far from comfortable against a confident Newcastle side after defeating Manchester City 5-1 on Sunday, and given that only one of the previous 14 head-to-heads had seen both teams score, the signs were not good for a second-half comeback. The halftime did not have the expected impact on Arsenal’s jittery backline, which was again exploited in the early minutes of the second half. A sloppy touch from William Saliba wasn’t punished when Gordon’s long-range attempt deflected wide.but Raya wasn’t so fortunate, seeing his pass cut out by Fabian Schar, allowing Gordon to slot home on the turn.

With a huge aggregate lead, Newcastle cruised through a very easy second period to get to the final. They will find out their opponents tomorrow when Liverpool hosts Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs leading 1-0 after the first leg and potentially standing between the Magpies and their first League Cup victory. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s first defeat in nine away games across all competitions ensures the club’s wait for its first EFL Cup final since 2017/18 continues, having last won the cup in 1992/93.

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