By Korede James
Newcastle United defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the second leg of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night at St. James’ Park to advance to the final.
The Magpies went through 4-0 on aggregate after securing a 2-0 win in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium in January.
Goals from Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon sent Newcastle to their second final since their defeat to Manchester United in 2023.
The Gunners were hoping to be inspired by their 5-1 victory performance over Manchester City heading into Wednesday’s Cup tie.
But it was Newcastle who looked more threatening when they surged forward, and it did not come as a surprise when Alexander Isak found the net on seven minutes.
However, the goal was ruled out for offside after consultation with VAR.
Newcastle eventually took the lead in the 19th minute as Gordon tapped into an empty net after Isak’s initial effort came off the post.
Arsenal suffered another injury setback as Gabriel Martinelli went off on 37 minutes with a suspected hamstring tear.
Newcastle doubled their lead seven minutes after the break through Gordon.
Fabian Schar won the ball on the edge of the box after the Arsenal backline failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Gordon who slotted it into the net.
The closest Arsenal came to scoring was late in the second half through Myles Lewis-Skelly, but the young defender failed to direct his free header from a corner towards goal.
Newcastle would hope to go one better this time after losing 2-0 to Manchester United in the final the season before.
Meanwhile, the second semi-final will be played on Thursday between Carabao Cup holders Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. Spurs hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
