Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Well, well, well, Newcastle United are going to Wembley once again for the second time
00:07in three years, have booked their place in the Carrawog Cup. Final 4-0 aggregate win
00:12over Arsenal, 2-0 in each leg and you've got to say Newcastle really walked through those
00:22two games and made easy work. I say made easy work, that's to take nothing away from Newcastle
00:28because over the two legs they were absolutely outstanding and tonight everything went in
00:35their favour. When St James' Park is rocking like it can, like it was tonight, a PSG-like
00:42atmosphere like we had in the Champions League a couple of years ago, or last season even,
00:48it was on those levels and when you've got Newcastle, it's a cliche, but when you've
00:52got Newcastle United like that they're very, very hard to beat and from the off in the
00:57stadium you felt like it was only going to go one way tonight. A lot of nerves coming
01:01into the game by a lot of supporters but I suspect they were quickly put to bed even
01:08within the first couple of minutes. Newcastle thought they'd took the lead, Alex Arnezac
01:14goal ruled offside and then Newcastle didn't have to wait long at all because Jacob Murphy
01:19I think ran the 19th minute, made it 1-0 on the ninth, 3-0 on aggregate and Anthony Gordon
01:26after half-time put the game to bed. It's so comfortable but the players' efforts, what
01:34they've put into these two games and tonight as well, just outstanding. I don't think I
01:40can use enough words to really praise the efforts because Arsenal are a good side, very,
01:46very good side, title challengers this season but Newcastle seem to have their number at
01:52the moment. Especially here anyway, Arsenal don't win many matches here in Newcastle.
01:59They seem to be a bogey side for Arsenal but that's because Newcastle can be a horrible
02:05team to play against and I mean that in the nicest way possible but they made it horrible
02:09for Arsenal here tonight. It was like a bear pit and yeah they had no chance of getting
02:15a result in my opinion actually in those opening couple of minutes except the tail there was
02:20going to be one winner so yeah what else can I say? I think everyone across the park was
02:26outstanding. Eddie Howe changed his formation, I think it surprised people with Joe Linton out
02:33injured, he brought in Sven Botman, went with the back five, Kieran Trippier came in for team
02:38Liverpool right back but it worked a treat. An Eddie Howe tactical masterclass. I think
02:45because Eddie Howe doesn't really tend to switch formation I was surprised but you could see
02:48exactly why he did it. The height and the box which Arsenal, one of their biggest threats is
02:54set pieces and by putting Sven Botman in there, by losing Joe Linton's height and putting Botman
02:58in there, it really did help Newcastle and I thought he was immense tonight, Sven Botman.
03:03Just a shame he went off with an knee injury so that'll be assessed, hopefully that's not
03:08too bad. He just came back from an ACL injury so hopefully he'll be okay but
03:16he was exceptional tonight. It's hard to pick anyone out, I think if I have to pick out standouts
03:24Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon were the two standouts for me but that's no slight on anyone
03:28else because it was a real team performance. Fabian Scheer, unbelievable for the goal,
03:35a press machine, I didn't know he had that in his locker but yeah he won the ball high for the
03:42second goal, got the players' families down there. He robbed Declan Rice of possession
03:50and Anthony Gordon with a cool finish at the bottom corner for 2-0. Dan Byrne winning everything
03:56again, being a rock solid defender for Newcastle this season. The two in midfield,
04:02Bruno Gimaraes and Sandro Tonali coming up against Arsenal's three-man midfield, they put in a hell
04:08of a shift. Sandro Tonali, just a classy footballer, missed that defensive savvies game
04:16on Saturday against Fulham but that was back tonight and he played a key role in the opening
04:20goal by winning the ball. Of course Bruno, just a cool, classy, I use that word again, classy
04:28person, a real captain's performance. It's a fiery night on Tyneside, it's a high
04:35tempo affair on Tyneside and he just brings that bit of calmness and a proper captain Bruno
04:41Gimaraes was tonight. And then the front three, Anthony Gordon, I've already touched upon him,
04:47just relentless in everything that he does. Should have had two assists in the opening.
04:53Yeah, he was heavily involved in the opening stages when he put the ball through for Alexander
04:58Isaac when his goal was offside. He then put the ball through for Isaac again when Isaac hit the
05:03ball and then his shot was followed up by Jacob Murphy, underrated finish by him. But yeah, he was
05:11relentless and Alexander Isaac who just terrorises Arsenal every time he comes up against them.
05:18Always talk of Alexander Isaac and Arsenal being interested in Alexander Isaac but he loves playing
05:22against them. Should have got on the score sheet today, unfortunately he was just narrowly offside
05:26but still terrorised the Arsenal defence. Look, Arsenal's two centre-backs are good defenders,
05:33very, very hard to break down but they must hate playing against Alexander Isaac and
05:37yeah, as I mentioned there, Jacob Murphy on the right-hand side, a real underrated finish from
05:41him to control the ball into the net after it rebounded off the crossbar from Alexander Isaac's
05:48shot. Conor McVean mentioned Kieran Trippier, actually I'm talking about all the players there
05:53but Kieran Trippier coming back in because he hasn't started many games of late but that was
06:00the Kieran Trippier of old today, the player that we'd seen for sort of his first 18 months on
06:05Tyneside. Such a threat going forward, set pieces, excellent defensively, outstanding. So I was really
06:12pleased to see him back in tonight and I really do hope that means they run the team for him because
06:18as good as Tino Lomrento is, and Tino Lomrento will be a good player for this football club
06:24but he's not on Trippier levels yet and that just shows how good Kieran Trippier is. So I would like
06:28to see him out on the team now but yeah I've been around the houses there in terms of
06:33tonight, the players that I think have played well, they all played well but it's just a
06:38just a brilliant night to be back at Wembley. It feels different this time, I don't know if it's
06:44because Newcastle walked through this time anyways, falling on Agra but the sort of celebrations at
06:49the end, I wouldn't say immuted but they weren't as electric as we've seen when they beat Southampton
06:56to get the final a couple of years ago. So I think this time Newcastle, although they probably went
07:02there last time to win, it feels like there's a different mentality about this group of players
07:06now and they've given themselves a real chance in that Wembley final. Who it'll be, Tottenham or
07:11Liverpool, that'll be decided on Thursday. I suspect many would prefer Tottenham but can you
07:17imagine Newcastle going to a cup final as favourites? So we'll wait and see how that plays out but the
07:21most important thing is Newcastle have got themselves back at Wembley, the final on the 16th
07:28of March. So we want to look forward to, of course a lot of Premier League games
07:33will be played before then but yeah this is a real special night at St James' Park. Everything
07:38from the players, Teddy Howe's tactical masterclass and to those in the stands as well.
07:43Just a real special night and yeah, I don't know if I've got anything else to say just
07:52fantastic. So next up for Newcastle, they go to Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round on
08:02Sunday. They'll be hoping to avoid a cup upset but for the next couple of days they can enjoy
08:08this game tonight and being back at Wembley.