Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal (4-0 on aggregate) (Murphy 19‘, Gordon 52’)
ST JAMES’ PARK — Wembley awaits for Eddie Howe‘s history boys, a fitting reward for a magnificent performance of nerveless maturity from Newcastle United that should fill them with belief that they can end an agonising trophy drought that stretches back seven decades.
Arsenal had swept into St James’ Park on a wave of hubris after goading Manchester City into submission on Sunday and departed it with their tails between their legs, outplayed, out-fought and out-thought by a Newcastle side who appear to have their number.
Once again Mikel Arteta’s side wilted on Tyneside, unable to cope with the intensity of a Newcastle side who fed off the energy of a thunderous home crowd who reacted to the final whistle with euphoria. Once again, Howe and his players stand on the brink of history.
At one point in the second half, the game already won, the locals goaded the Arsenal manager by singing “Mikel Arteta, it must be the balls”. It was a reference to him blaming the Puma footballs used in this competition after the first leg but they weren’t wrong: Newcastle had the cajones here to abandon caution and attack their visitors, despite their two goal advantage.
How it worked. Alexander Isak – superb all night – once again terrorised William Saliba, only denied a deserved opening goal by the tightest of offside decisions. That early VAR call threatened to change the dynamic – especially when Martin Odegaard pinged the post with a snap shot – but Newcastle were electric on the break.
It felt fitting that the crucial first blow was struck by Jacob Murphy. The peerless Isak gets the juices flowing but it is players like Murphy, selfless, tireless and so vastly improved under this manager, who really make Howe’s Newcastle tick.
Player of the Match
Anthony Gordon: Led from the front with a thoroughbred performance of energy and intensity. Simply superb throughout.
There’s an obsession on Tyneside with recruting his replacement but there’s a reason why Murphy, a boyhood Newcastle fan, is so highly rated by Howe and so beloved by his teammates. The opening goal illustrated it perfectly. Isak’s run and shot might have been special but it was Murphy – haring into the penalty box, anticipating the half chance – who was prepared to put it in the hard yards to make the decisive contribution.
It was that sort of night for Newcastle. Sandro Tonali is a Rolls Royce midfielder but what’s not always as appreciated is the unseen work, revving the engine to do as much defensive dirty work as anyone in the Premier League.
With Arsenal seeing so much of the ball, Newcastle needed that discipline. Howe went with an unfamiliar five at the back to get Sven Botman into the team and it was an inspired decision. He coolly extinguished fires before they began to rage, helping soothe any nerves.
After Murphy’s goal Arsenal belatedly began to exert the sort of pressure they really needed from the off. Red shirts hogged the ball but couldn’t find a way through – Leandro Trossard testing Martin Dubravka without much conviction.
Kai Havertz did what he always does, looking a pale imitation of the sort of forward a team with pretensions to be elite requires. It wasn’t quite routine for Newcastle – they spent most of the run-up to the break perched precariously on the edge of their penalty area – but there was no imminent sense of danger to erode St James’ Park’s feelgood factor.
When Gordon pounced for a second, Fabian Schar having snapped at Declan Rice’s ankles, Newcastle’s passage to Wembley was assured. Nothing less than victory should sate them now.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/m85tFcA
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