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If Eddie Howe had wanted the England job he could quite possibly have secured it last summer but, instead, Newcastle’s manager let it be known he had unfinished business in the north east.
Howe has never been shy about discussing his “burning ambition” to preside over a first major trophy since the Fairs Cup in 1969 and, in the course of a triumphalist night on Tyneside , Mikel Arteta was left badly singed by the searing heat of that desire.
When the final whistle blew Newcastle had reached a second Carabao Cup final in three seasons but right from the start Arsenal’s manager and his players were thoroughly second guessed by the smartest of second-leg tactical blueprints. It is approaching five years since the London side last won a major trophy, the 2020 FA Cup, and while Newcastle prepare for a Wembley date next month, Arteta’s outwitted and overwhelmed squad will now head to Dubai to rest and reflect.
It could be a while though before the taunts of Newcastle fans – “Mikel Arteta it must be the ball” – reminding him he had blamed the Carabao Cup match ball for the first-leg defeat, stop ringing in his ears.
Before the match Eddie Howe had nodded in apparent agreement with a suggestion that “2-0 is the most dangerous lead in football”. By half-time he had gone a long way to debunking that theory Newcastle’s manager took the precaution of breaking a long standing devotion to operating with a back four. If the ensuing tactical shift to a back five was partly to compensate for the loss of the injured Joelinton, it also had the benefit of averting the need to drop one of Fabian Schär, Sven Botman or Dan Burn. Given that Schär is Howe’s only fit right-footed central defender he would almost certainly have had to omit either Botman or Burn, both of whom had compelling cases for starting.
A revamp as much about coping with Arsenal’s threat from set pieces as smart dressing-room diplomacy paid dividends with Schär, Botman and Burn all excelling, not to mention taking turns to step out of defence and press the ambition and optimism out of Arteta’s players.
With Arsenal’s manager demanding his players ignite “full gas and go for it”, Howe sensibly introduced the experienced, thoroughly streetwise Kieran Trippier at right wing-back in place of Tino Livramento. Trippier’s nous frequently informed Arteta’s increasing grimaces.
Not that Newcastle fans were necessarily looking for a cool, measured approach. “Get Into Them” demanded one giant banner in the Gallowgate End at kick-off. Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak were happy to oblige with the former’s fine pass prefacing the Sweden striker taking a steadying touch before lashing a fabulous shot into the net. For a short while it seemed the tie might be over before it had really begun but VAR came to Arsenal’s rescue with the identification of a fractional offside.
Arteta’s team had permitted Isak far too much room for manoeuvre and barely deserved that reprieve. Not that it lasted long. Moments after Martin Ødegaard spurned a very decent chance, Isak thundered a 20-yard shot against a post and watched in delight as Jacob Murphy directed the rebound beyond David Raya on the half volley. Small wonder Arteta is so keen on buying Isak.
Howe’s interpretation of playing with a defensive quintet included much more high pressing than their guests can have bargained for and, as Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães charged around midfield like men possessed, a seemingly nonplussed Arsenal struggled to combat it.
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Gabriel Martinelli had pledged that the Londoners would score “three, four or five goals” and turn the tie on its head but instead he pulled a hamstring and found himself replaced by Ethan Nwaneri in the 37th minute.
By then Arsenal had begun exerting a degree of control only to repeatedly run into Howe’s formidable defensive barricade. Visiting possession stats in excess of 70 per cent were all very well but, bar one save from Martin Dubravka to deny Leandro Trossard and Ødegaard grazing the outside of an upright, they never really looked like scoring.
Even worse, the need to take risks left William Saliba and defensive company badly exposed and unusually vulnerable. The choruses of “we’re going to Wemberlee” began rolling down the stands when Gordon doubled Newcastle’s lead.
After missing a glorious shooting opportunity the winger slid a low shot unfussily past Raya following a passage of terrible Arsenal defending. It began with the goalkeeper ill-advisedly attempting to play out from the back and involved Declan Rice being dispossessed by Schär’s tackle before the ball dropped for Gordon to do the rest.
