Joelinton scored the only goal of the game to help Newcastle produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Carabao Cup. When Miguel Almiron found Joelinton at the back post, Joelinton squandered what appeared to be the game’s greatest opportunity by shooting aimlessly over the crossbar (53), but he later made up for that mistake by converting a cross from replacement Alexander Isak (73). Che Adams wasted Southampton’s best opportunity prior to the game’s first goal by losing a one-on-one match to the “outstanding” Nick Pope (65), and then Adam Armstrong was denied after fumbling the ball over the line (75), only for VAR to spot a handball in the build-up. This is the second time in three days that the Saints have had goals overturned by VAR review.
Newcastle has kept more clean sheets in all competitions than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues thanks to Magpies goalkeeper Pope, who has played in 10 games and faced 20 shots since last giving up a goal. To determine which team will advance to the Wembley final against either Manchester United or Nottingham Forest in late February, the two teams will square off once again on January 31.
After three victories in a week in January, Saints advanced in the FA Cup, and Carabao Cup, and defeated Everton in Premier League play, giving under-fire manager Nathan Jones some solace. Since then, Southampton has suffered two defeats—a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, their fourth straight league home loss, and a semifinal exit at the hands of Newcastle.
Saints’ night of misery was made complete when Duje Caleta-Car was sent in the closing moments, their first dismissal in any tournament in more than a year. Saints had what they believed to be an equalizer from Armstrong disallowed for handball by VAR. The defender will miss the second leg in seven days after lunging into a careless challenge on Allan Saint-Maximin in the 86th minute while already having received a yellow card.
Similar to Armstrong, Joelinton also had a goal disallowed by VAR in the first half. After missing a clear-cut opportunity, he subsequently connected with Isak’s tease with the decisive touch. Gavin Bazunu was left stranded as the substitute circled Caleta-Car and laid the ball on a plate for the Brazilian at the back post, who poked into the net.
“It was a challenging game. Although it is still only halftime, both teams had their moments, so I am extremely happy to have won. Up to Joe’s objective, we weren’t clinical. It has been a successful day for us, therefore I am unable to criticize the team in any manner,” Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said. “The tie has many moving parts. Nick [Pope] was necessary. I’m quite happy that VAR was able to stop Southampton’s goal. Nick made two crucial saves that changed the course of the game. A crucial moment in the game occurred when Nick got up. He has excelled for us this year. He has a strong defense in front of him, but every time we have needed him, he has delivered.”
“I’m quite proud of the performance level. They are a challenging opponent. I felt we were great, and the fact that we competed so well shows how far we’ve come. We significantly improved in the second half but still lacked some quality,” Southampton head coach Nathan Jones said. “Since you never know what will happen, you can no longer celebrate a goal. You can’t be sure. Four VAR goals have been scored against us recently. It’s quite depressing. It was presented in the VAR studio, so there was no issue with the officials or anything. This recruitment window has been essential. Tonight, you saw [Charly] Alcaraz, who I thought was amazing.”
For more football scores, click here
