Newcastle United put one foot in the EFL Cup final with a stunning 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon on target.
Eddie Howe's side, who finished runners-up in the 2023 EFL Cup, survived an early wave of pressure before Isak put them ahead late in the first half of Tuesday's semi-final first leg before Gordon's close-range finish gave them a brief breathing space. after the break.
They now have a two-goal buffer to defend when the sides reconvene for the second leg at St James' Park on February 5, when Mikel Arteta's Gunners will need a major improvement.
Jurrien Timber headed over when left unmarked in a good position early on, setting the tone for Arsenal to dominate long periods of the first half without making the breakthrough.
Their best chance of the period came just before the half-hour mark, when Gabriel Martinelli broke through on goal. The Brazilian beat Martin Dubravka with his effort near the post, but saw the ball bounce against the upright.
Their waste was punished in the 38th minute when a deep Newcastle free-kick somehow found Jacob Murphy. His touch fell at the feet of Isak, who sent his finish into the ball off the underside of the crossbar.
ICE. COLD.
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) January 7, 2025
Things got worse for Arsenal six minutes into the second half, when David Raya could only parry Isak's shot into the path of Gordon, who tapped into an empty net to make it 2-0.
Kai Havertz flicked his lines from six yards out and Jorginho fired over the bar as Arsenal looked for a lifeline, but they were unable to reduce the deficit and now need a memorable comeback on Tyneside next month.
Data Debrief: Half a Century for Isak
Isak's opening goal on Tuesday was his 50th for Newcastle in all competitions. Since his debut in August 2022, Erling Haaland (105) and Mohamed Salah (73) are the only Premier League players to have scored more goals.
The Swede has now scored ten goals in his last nine games in all competitions, and this is the second time he has scored against Arsenal this season, having struck the winner when the teams faced each other in the Premier League in November.
He is the first Newcastle player to score in two different games against Arsenal in one season since Laurent Robert in 2001-02.
Isak's goal also continued his excellent partnership with Murphy, with the duo scoring seven goals between them in all competitions this season – the most of any Premier League duo.
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