The irony will surely not be lost on Mikel Arteta. On a night when his side were hoping to put one foot in the Carabao Cup final, it was Alexander Isak – a striker that the Arsenal manager has long coveted – who did the damage as Newcastle secured a famous victory.
It was no less than Eddie Howe’s side deserved as they bid to reach the final once again after the heartache of losing to Manchester United at Wembley in 2023. Goals either side of half-time from Isak – his 10th in his last nine appearances – and Anthony Gordon ensured they will go into next month’s second leg at St James’ Park with a healthy advantage.
While Arsenal had their chances, there was no need for the referee John Brooks to explain any VAR decisions to the crowd in an initiative being trialled in the semi-finals as the hosts struggled to respond after falling behind. Their hopes of winning a second major trophy since he took charge now look distant but Newcastle’s supporters can almost start to plan another trip to London in March.
A reflection of how much this competition has moved up the priority lists of both clubs could be seen in the strength of both starting XIs. Arsenal’s situation was dictated by the lack of options in attack after the muscle injury sustained by the teenager Ethan Nwaneri against Brighton saw him join Bukayo Saka on the sidelines. There was better news for Arteta that Kai Havertz had recovered sufficiently to return in place of Gabriel Jesus up front, with recalls for the captain Martin Ødegaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Martinelli, who remained on the left flank as Leandro Trossard took up Saka’s usual role on the right.
Newcastle’s change of fortunes has coincided with a reconfiguration of his midfield to accommodate Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães. But the Brazilian’s suspension saw Howe turn to Joe Willock – another Arsenal academy graduate who was allowed to leave north London by Arteta in 2021.
With his side in such good form, Howe acknowledged that this competition may be their best chance of ending the quest for a major domestic trophy that infamously stretches back to their FA Cup win in 1955. However, they were facing an Arsenal side desperate to shed its tag as nearly men and the hosts showed their intentions when William Saliba’s goalbound shot was blocked by Dan Burn inside the six-yard area during a frantic opening period.
Jurriën Timber should have made more of Declan Rice’s corner that sailed over Martin Dubravka’s head and left him up against Lewis Hall at the back post but, to set-piece coach Nicolas Jover’s clear annoyance, he could not direct the header on target. Hall had Newcastle’s first serious effort when his shot was blocked and Tonali fired the rebound well over the crossbar. A sumptuous pass from Isak almost created another opening for Jacob Murphy although the visitors then had to hang on as Arsenal pushed forward. Martinelli struck a post when he was played through brilliantly by Ødegaard before Newcastle somehow scrambled another corner away when Dubravka flapped at the ball and completely missed it.
But the 6,000 travelling supporters at the Clock End could celebrate when the Newcastle goalkeeper pumped a free kick forward and it was flicked on by Sven Botman. Murphy’s touch took the ball perfectly into the path of Isak and from that moment there was no doubting the result as his finish into the roof of the net left David Raya with no chance.
Arsenal looked shocked but almost hit back when a free kick just before half-time fell to Gabriel Magalhães but Dubravka did well to react quickly. There was more concern for Arsenal when Trossard hobbled down the tunnel at half-time after being caught by Gordon. Things were not exactly going to plan for Arteta.
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It was a surprise when the Belgium forward re-emerged for the second half but his side soon found themselves two goals down after more brilliance from Isak. A clever one-two with Murphy took him inside the area and his shot was parried by Raya straight into the path of Gordon, who tapped into the empty net to the delight of the fans behind the goal.
Arsenal were living on the edge and only just managed to scramble away a dangerous cross from Tonali. Arteta’s head was in his hands when Havertz somehow contrived to make contact with his shoulder with the goal gaping after the ball had looped up from Trossard’s cross. The Arsenal manager turned to Jesus – the hat-trick hero from their quarter-final win over Crystal Palace – off the bench but his first act was to head over another Rice corner when it seemed easier to score.
Howe sacrificed Murphy and Isak as Newcastle attempted to shut up shop, with Joelinton blocking a shot from Jorginho before Martinelli was well off target with the follow up.
But that and the Italy midfielder’s late effort that cleared Dubravka’s bar was as close as they came to finding a way back into this tie to leave Newcastle on the verge of clinching another final appearance.
