Online Reporter
LONDON. — Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe urged caution despite a 2-0 victory at Arsenal on Tuesday, putting his in-form side within touching distance of a place in the League Cup final.
Goals by Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon either side of halftime in north London gave Newcastle a seventh successive win in all competitions and put them in the driving seat for the second leg at St James’ Park in February.
On all eight occasions since 1987-88 that an away team held a two-goal lead from the first leg, that team went on to reach the final and Arsenal have a mountain to climb if they are to keep alive their hopes of a third League Cup triumph.
Howe also took Newcastle to the League Cup final in 2023 but they fell short of a first trophy since 1955 as they were beaten by Manchester United at Wembley.
The delirious Toon Army celebrated at the final whistle but Howe said there was still plenty of work left to set up a final against Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
“Today is another big step forward when you look at the recent run we’ve had away from home,” Howe told Sky Sports after his side’s seventh successive win in all competitions.
“We played with real confidence and belief but in terms of the tie it’s still very much alive and finely balanced and we have a really tough home leg to come.”
Howe admitted his side were creaking in the second half as Arsenal desperately sought a way back, but said he was proud of the way his team defended.
“There was a lot of fatigue in the second half,” he said. “We started off on the front foot but then we fatigued and then it was about our mentality to defend. We knew what was at stake and the players put their bodies on the line.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta still believes his side can reach the Carabao Cup final — but says his players must first master the “tricky” ball used in the competition.
The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle in Tuesday’s semi-final first leg after goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
Arsenal had 23 shots during the match but just three were on target, as Gabriel Martinelli struck the post and Kai Havertz headed a simple chance wide.
When he was asked about the missed chances in his post-match news conference, Arteta said he would not tell his players to change anything, but did mention the impact the ball had.
“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better,” he said.
“But at the end that’s gone – there’s no way back, it’s about the next game and that’s our world, the reality is our world. It’s just half-time. When I see the team play, and how we deal with a lot of situations and play against a very good team, I must say I have full belief that we can go out there and do it.”
Prior to the defeat by Newcastle, the Gunners had scored 11 goals in three EFL Cup ties so far this season.
The ball in the competition is made by Puma, while the ball used in the Premier League is manufactured by Nike.
“It’s just different,” said Arteta when asked to go into more detail about the ball.
“It’s very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different.
“When you touch it the grip is very different as well, so you adapt to that.” —Reuters/BBC Sport.
