Sean Longstaff scored a brace to help Newcastle produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Carabao Cup. Sean Longstaff, an unlikely hero, helped the Magpies advance to their first major final since the 1999 FA Cup, their first trip to the new Wembley, and their first League Cup final since 1976 after taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their semi-final at St. Mary’s. Just before the half-hour mark, Southampton had a chance thanks to a stunning effort from Che Adams from outside the box, but they were unable to capitalize, and Newcastle went on to win 2-1 at St. James’ Park.
The only minor flaw was Bruno Guimaraes’ late dismissal for a terrible last-second challenge on Samuel Edozie, which will result in a three-game suspension. But most importantly, he won’t miss the championship game, where Newcastle will try to win its first trophy since 1969 against Manchester United or Nottingham Forest. However, given their 3-0 lead going into Wednesday night’s second leg of their semi-final at Old Trafford, it’s likely to be the former.
Newcastle’s jitters were quickly allayed by an exciting start and an excellent first goal. Longstaff scored to break a streak of 54 outings without a home goal as he took a touch and then finished past Gavin Bazunu after Kieran Trippier got the ball down the right and moved it inside. It happened to the midfielder in a split second, much as on London buses. Joelinton and Joe Willock connected down the left before Miguel Almiron’s cutback into space found the run of Longstaff to thump in. It was another excellent team move.
Although Southampton was in disbelief, they were granted a huge lifeline by Willock’s careless pass that Adams intercepted. The goalkeeper hadn’t given up in any contest since they played the Saints in the Premier League on November 6, but the striker still had a lot of work to do. He took advantage of space 20 yards out to hit a fizzing shot beyond Nick Pope’s extended dive. In an effort to get his team back into the semifinals, Nathan Jones made some adjustments at halftime. Romeo Lavia, one of those adjustments, almost made it happen when his fantastic ball in the 72nd minute reached the streaking Adam Armstrong.
He beat the offside trap, but when it came to a one-on-one with Pope, he was unable to go past him. But if Southampton failed to capitalize on that opportunity, Newcastle would have its first League Cup final in 47 years and a 54-year wait before trying to win a trophy for the first time since winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in 1969. Sean Longstaff’s brilliant performance earned him the title of Man of the Match.
“We currently possess the team spirit and camaraderie necessary to succeed. It’s my responsibility to work to preserve, promote, and grow it. There are some outstanding professionals in that locker room who have excelled for the team this year,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said. “[Longstaff] is essential because he embodies Newcastle in every way. Just scoring more goals will make everyone else more aware of his superb play. I’m overjoyed for him because he deserves the recognition. It will take some time for [the red card] to settle in that it was a major setback for us. He is a key player and will be missed because everything passes through him. But someone else will have the chance.”
“The first 20 minutes truly let me down. When it came to what we wanted to do, we were really passive. The goals were terrible, and we weren’t really aggressive. We released runners,” he added. “The two chances we provided them. Actually, that was [defensive] suicide. However, the response that followed was great. We scored back, and the second half was fantastic. We had a lot of optimism; the only thing we lacked was some cutting-edge. We had a wonderful opportunity, but we squandered it.”
The winner of the contest between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest will play Newcastle. Christian Eriksen, a midfielder for Manchester United, will be out until late April or early May due to an ankle injury. However, the possible returns of Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial give Erik ten Hag encouragement.
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