Newcastle United Opens Opportunities To The Carabao Cup Final After Defeating Arsenal
JAKARTA - Newcastle United opened the opportunity to qualify for the Carabao Cup final after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the first match of the semifinals at the Emirates Stadium, Wednesday, January 8, 2024 in the morning WIB.
Newcastle showed the most consistent team not only in the English Premier League competition but also in the Carabao Cup. They have won all the last six games in various competitions. Including finishing Manchester United 2-0 and Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home to opponents.
Only Newcastle is a bit late in maintaining consistency so they have not penetrated the Champions League zone. In the Premier League standings, Newcastle is still stuck in fifth place with 35 points.
Meanwhile, Arsenal who pocketed point 40 were ranked second. They are six points adrift of Liverpool who are perched at the top of the standings
However, The Magpies still have the opportunity to break into the top four. Moreover, Newcastle was able to be consistent as against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup or the English League Cup. Appearing at home to opponents in the first semifinal, Eddie Howe's team managed to win two goals.
The result became a valuable capital for The Toon Army to advance to the final. The reason is that in the second match which was held at home at St James' Park Stadium, February 6, 2025 in the morning, Newcastle only needed a draw to get rid of their rivals as well as qualify for the final to face Liverpool or Tottenham. Newcastle itself won the Carabao Cup, which was England's third caste tournament in 1955.
On the other hand, Arsenal will have to work hard if they want to qualify for the final. The North London club last went to the final in 2018. Only Arsenal failed to win because they lost 3-0 against Manchester City. While they last won the trophy in 1993 by beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1.
Arsenal's hopes of qualifying for the final in the 2024/2025 edition are not easy. They must be able to catch up with the goal deficit and turn things around in the second semifinal at Newcastle's home.
In this first semifinal duel, both Arsenal and Newcastle came down with the best strength. Arsenal, who hoped to win the second trophy under Mikel Arteta's tutelage, immediately played offensive football. They again relied on Kai Havertz who previously missed a 1-1 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.
But Newcastle also showed a performance that was no less solid. Even though they lost in possession, they were able to match the Gunners' game. The success of winning the away match is clearly an important asset for Sandro Tonali et al to serve Arsenal.
Even Newcastle managed to break the deadlock when striker Alexander Isak broke into David Raya's goal in the 37th minute. He continued his free kick from Jacob Murphy to change the score to 1-0. The score lasted until halftime.
Entering the second half, Arsenal stepped up pressure to equalize. It's just that the solid defense of Newcastletan Botman and Tino Livramento made it difficult for forward Arsenal to score. Over the previous five matches, Newcastle's goal only conceded twice to show their strong defense.
Instead of equalizing the score, Arsenal's goal conceded again. This time, Anthony Gordon, who solidified the visitors' lead in the 51st minute. The goal started with Isak's shot which could be blocked by Raya. Only the rebound ball due to the goalkeeper's failure to secure was then struck by Gordon.
The score changed 2-0 for Newcastle. In a position behind, Arsenal tried to keep attacking. But their efforts to score goals always failed. Newcastle's two goals lead until the end of the match.