Newcastle reach the Carabao Cup final for the first time in 24 years after beating Southampton 2-1 thanks to Sean Longstaff’s brace.
Once the Saudi money finally begins pouring into Tyneside, the Newcastle team may not contain any genuine Geordies.
With Sean Longstaff’s early double in front of the Gallowgate End propelling the club to its first Wembley final in 24 years, this was a night to remember for the Toon Army and for the hometown hero.
The big midfielder, who was born and raised in Newcastle, was serenaded by the home crowd, which believed they could be able to enjoy a substantial victory with no stress or worry.
It wasn’t as simple as it was expected due to Bruno Guimaraes’ late red card for an X-rated studs-up tackle on Sam Edozie.
The playmaker from Brazil will miss three games but will be back in time for the Carabao Cup Final on February 26.
Although it contributed to some late anxieties, Longstaff’s big night was eventually unaffected.
These two can take pride in having played pivotal roles in the Cup run that truly ignited the Geordie Arabia movement. Dan Burn, another North-Easterner, scored in the quarterfinal triumph over Leicester.
They will now compete against Manchester United or Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup Final, hoping to win their first major trophy in 54 years and their first Wembley final victory in 68 years.
It is safe to say that no manager in history has accomplished such a milestone while still looking so young as Eddie Howe did in his 600th game as a manager.
And this was a perfect opportunity for the Newcastle manager to celebrate his accomplishment as Longstaff’s twin goals downed struggling Southampton.
This large, old building has been in a coma for a decade, with nothing except yells of disdain at their despised owner Mike Ashley or, worse yet, the quiet hum of hopeless indifference.
However, St James’ Park has been reconnected to the mains for the past year or two, with electricity pouring through it and the volume turned up to eleven.
The one topic they prefer to avoid discussing is how the money was obtained.
The new owners have not yet made a sizable investment in the market—just a small portion of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s half-billion-pound pebbledashing.
And because of this, their competitors are so nervous.
They are aware that this Newcastle side is already challenging to defeat and will soon be studded with true world-class talents.
For the time being, a sizable contingent of players, including Longstaff, are still present who came in before the big money.
When compared to a typical May Day gathering in Tiananmen Square, there were more flags on show here.
When Longstaff discovered the net, there were joyful roars and thousands of black and white scarves wrapped around heads.
Before the game began, they unveiled Harrison Ashby, a teenage defender acquired from West Ham, and £45 million newcomer Anthony Gordon, who had successfully completed a jailbreak from Goodison Park.
Since the first leg of this semi-final, Newcastle had a clear week, and Howe selected the same team that defeated Southampton at St. Mary’s thanks to a Joelinton goal.
And it only took Howe’s team five minutes to increase their advantage in the game. Guimaraes performed some magic in the center of the field, and then Kieran Trippier charged forward and set up Longstaff for a low drive into the far corner.
This effectively ended any uncertainty about Newcastle’s ability to get to the final that might have existed earlier in the evening.
Given that he had gone 54 consecutive home games without scoring at St James’ Park throughout the previous four years, Longstaff savored the opportunity.
He ought to have got a second a few minutes later.
This time, Guimaraes made a nice pass past the defense, but after cutting inside, the large midfielder missed with his shot.
As Newcastle attacked with confidence and vigor, the Saints appeared to be far behind.
Furthermore, the second goal was a nice move.
Near the midway point, Joe Willock started it, passed to Joelinton, moved forward and fed Miguel Almiron, who cut back for Longstaff to drill home confidently.
However, the Saints unexpectedly grabbed one back just before the half-hour mark. Che Adams scored with an angled drive from the edge of the box after a sloppy ball from Willock.
It put a stop to Nick Pope’s flawless streak of ten consecutive shutouts.
His most recent goal came in a 4-1 league victory over Southampton over three months prior, a late consolation.
After the break, Adam Amstrong was given a clear shot by Romeo Lavia, but Pope advanced and made a good stop.
When Guimaraes made the horrifying challenge on Edozie, he had just curled a long-range shot against the post. The VAR alerted Paul Tierney to his monitor, and he issued a red card along with a free kick in ideal James Ward-Prowse territory.
Isak was struck directly in the face by the Saints captain’s dead-ball attempt, a harsh but necessary hit given the circumstances.
What Next For Newcastle United And Eddie Howe?
The Carabao Cup final is not enough for Eddie Howe’s team, and he has challenged them to win it in order to break the team’s 54-year trophy drought.
The Magpies’ semi-final victory over Southampton on Tuesday night at a crowded St James’ Park secured a 3-1 overall triumph and maintained their chances of winning their first global trophy since 1969 and their first domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup.
However, head coach Howe thinks they cannot be finished yet since either Manchester United or Nottingham Forest will be waiting for them at Wembley on February 26.
The coach stated that: “You always want something. We’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve, which was getting to the final, but then you say, ‘Well, I’m not happy with that, we want to win it.”
“I think that’s a great thing and I want my players to feel the same way.”
“We really want to embrace our past and be very proud of what’s happened here before, but we also want to create new history for ourselves so that’s what we’re determined to do.”
