Newcastle United couldn’t resist taunting Arsenal after securing a 4-0 aggregate win over two legs to reach the Carabao Cup final.
The Magpies had a 2-0 advantage from the first leg at the Emirates, with goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. Eddie Howe’s side outplayed Mikel Arteta’s men once again at home with an outstanding team performance.
Jacob Murphy opened the scoring just after Martin Odegaard hit the post, and Gordon extended the aggregate lead to 4-0 early in the second half, capitalizing on a poor pass from David Raya to Declan Rice.
With St James’ Park in full voice, Newcastle dominated Arsenal and will face either Spurs or Liverpool in the final at Wembley, aiming to end a 70-year trophy drought.
After the first-leg defeat, Arteta had complained about the Puma ball used in the Carabao Cup, saying, “it’s tricky that this ball flies a lot” after several missed chances.
Newcastle fans responded by chanting “it must be the ball” at Arteta during the game, and the club’s social media account joined in with a cheeky post, captioning a photo of the yellow match ball, “The culprit:” – sparking reactions from fans online.
There was also speculation that Gordon’s post-match comments were aimed at Arsenal. When asked about keeping the team grounded, he said, “It is important for us to stay humble now,” which many saw as a subtle nod to Erling Haaland’s words after Arsenal’s 5-1 loss to Manchester City.
Newcastle will compete in another cup final on March 16, but their focus now shifts to Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round match against League One leaders Birmingham City.
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