What were the main talking points from the game at St James’ Park?
FIVE AT THE BACK
Eddie Howe’s change of formation was something of a surprise. Howe has played with five at the back before, but this was the first time all season that the Magpies boss had moved away from his preferred 4-3-3 set-up.
Sven Botman came in to replace the injured Joelinton, lining up alongside Fabian Schar and Dan Burn at the heart of the Magpies backline. The thinking was clear – keep things as tight as possible, smother the Arsenal attack and pack out the six-yard box to defend against the Gunners’ set-pieces. The ploy worked on all three fronts.
Newcastle defended brilliantly all evening, shutting down Arsenal’s midfielders and crowding out the Gunners’ forwards in the 18-yard box. Dan Burn and Sven Botman were especially impressive, making a succession of blocks and timing their tackles perfectly to prevent their opponents from breaking towards goal.
Then, when Arsenal got the chance to deliver one of their famous set-pieces, Newcastle’s defence was up to the task of keeping them out. Martin Dubravka deserves a special pat on the back for that, with the Magpies goalkeeper refusing to be cowed by Arsenal’s attempts to rough him up.
FALSE START
Four minutes in, and Newcastle thought they had the tie wrapped up. Anthony Gordon released Alexander Isak into the right-hand side of the penalty area, and the Swede cracked a brilliant finish across David Raya and into the far corner.
St James’ Park was in ecstasy, but the euphoria was halted when it became clear that a VAR check was under way.
It was exceptionally tight, but Isak had just strayed offside as he raced onto Gordon’s through ball. It took the best part of five minutes for the officials to reach a decision, but when it was relayed to the crowd via the PA system, it meant that Newcastle’s ‘goal’ was chalked off.
END TO END
The game swung in the space of a minute. At one end, Arsenal came within inches of breaking the deadlock; at the other, Newcastle claimed the opener that gave them a three-goal aggregate lead.
Should Martin Odegaard have done better? Possibly. The Norwegian was presented with the ball in the penalty area after Dan Burn tackled Gabriel Martinelli on the edge of the box, but fired against the outside of the right-hand post when he had plenty of the goal to hit.
Jacob Murphy, however, made no mistake. It wasn’t an easy chance, for all that the goal was gaping after Isak had fired against the left-hand post. The ball came at Murphy quickly, but with the same composure he has been displaying all season, the winger squeezed the ball home via a flick off the inside of the other upright.
GORDON’S TONIC
Gordon was brilliant all evening, breaking with pace and purpose while also running himself into the ground to close down the opposition.
He passed up a chance to make things safe at the start of the second half though, dragging a shit wide when he thought he had spotted David Raya off his line. With a breaking Isak alongside him, he should really have done better.
No matter. Three minutes later, and it was Gordon finding the net in front of the Gallowgate End to make it 2-0 to Newcastle on the night and 4-0 on aggregate.
Fabian Schar made the goal possible, robbing Declan Rice of possession when Raya rolled the ball into the midfielder’s path. But Gordon still had to keep his cool when the ball came his way close to the penalty spot, and he did so superbly, turning adroitly before slotting a finish past Raya’s left hand.
CELEBRATORY SCENES
A night that had the potential for high drama and jangling nerves ended in a carefree celebration.
Newcastle managed the closing stages of the game perfectly, meaning the home supporters were able to provide the soundtrack to their side’s success.
“Mikel Arteta, it must be the ball”, was the song of the night, referencing the Arsenal manager’s moan after his side’s first-leg defeat at the Emirates.
Que Sera Sera quickly took over though, with Newcastle preparing for a second trip to Wembley in the space of three seasons. They will discover the identity of their opponents tomorrow, when Liverpool host Tottenham at Anfield hoping to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg in north London. Whoever they end up facing, hopefully this will be the year when the wait for a first domestic trophy since 1955 finally comes to an end.
