Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe warned his team not to get carried away after they moved within touching distance of the EFL Cup final with a 1-0 win against Southampton in Tuesday’s semi-final first leg.
Joelinton netted in the second half at St Mary’s to put Howe’s side on the brink of their first domestic cup final since 1999.
Southampton’s Duje Caleta-Car was sent off in the closing stages as a feisty clash boiled over.
Photo: Reuters
Nathan Jones’ team, bottom of the English Premier League, felt hard done by after Adam Armstrong’s equalizer was disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR) for a handball.
However, Newcastle can book their long-awaited trip to Wembley in the second leg at St James’ Park on Tuesday, with the winner facing Manchester United or Nottingham Forest in the final.
However, Howe is not yet taking anything for granted.
“It’s been a good day, but there’s still a long way to go in the tie. Pleased to win, that was our aim, but we know 1-0 is delicate,” Howe said. “It was a tough game. I thought both teams had their moments. Nothing is decided. We go back to St James’ with our fans behind us.”
Admitting Newcastle were fortunate to avoid conceding Armstrong’s disallowed equalizer, Howe said: “I thought it was a goal. Very pleased to see VAR intervene.”
Newcastle are enjoying a renaissance this season thanks to Howe’s astute leadership and the financial investment of the club’s Saudi-backed ownership group.
The Magpies sit third in the Premier League and are making their first domestic semi-final appearance since 2005.
Underlining Newcastle’s new, confident attitude, Howe had said merely reaching a semi-final was “not enough,” as he aims to win the club’s first major domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup.
The Magpies’ most recent domestic cup final ended in defeat against Manchester United in the 1999 FA Cup, with their last major silverware coming in the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
For Newcastle, this is their most promising period since the Kevin Keegan era in the 1990s, and they left the south coast having taken another step on the road back to relevance.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
RSS