Eddie Howe Hails Newcastle's Progress After 2-0 Victory Over Arsenal

Newcastle United took a significant step towards the League Cup final with a 2-0 win at Arsenal, courtesy of goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was thrilled with his team's 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Tuesday, describing it as “another big step forward” for the in-form side. The win marked Newcastle's seventh consecutive triumph in all competitions and moved them closer to a spot in the League Cup final.

Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, scored either side of half-time, proved decisive in north London as Newcastle took a significant advantage into the second leg of their League Cup semi-final against Arsenal. The return fixture is scheduled to take place at St James' Park in February, with Newcastle now firmly in the driving seat.

The statistics are against Arsenal as they look to overturn a two-goal deficit in the League Cup semi-finals. Since the 1987-88 season, every away team that has held a two-goal lead from the first leg has gone on to reach the final. This trend does not bode well for Arsenal's hopes of securing a third League Cup title.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is no stranger to the League Cup final, having led the team to the championship match in 2023. Although they ultimately fell short against Manchester United at Wembley, Howe is determined to go one step further this time around. The Newcastle fans, known as the Toon Army, were ecstatic at the final whistle, but Howe remains focused on the task at hand.

“We've still got a lot of work to do,” Howe cautioned, despite his team's impressive 7-game winning streak in all competitions. “Today is another big step forward when you look at the recent run we've had away from home,” he told Sky Sports. With a potential final against Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur looming, Howe is keen to keep his team's momentum going.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was delighted with his team's 2-0 victory over Arsenal, but he refused to get carried away, acknowledging that the tie is still “very much alive and finely balanced.” Howe noted, “We played with real confidence and belief but in terms of the tie it's still very much alive and finely balanced and we have a really tough home leg to come.”

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Howe admitted that his team began to show signs of fatigue in the second half as Arsenal pushed for a way back into the game. “There was a lot of fatigue in the second half,” he said. “We started off on the front foot but then we fatigued and then it was about our mentality to defend.” Despite this, Howe was proud of the way his team defended, saying, “We knew what was at stake and the players put their bodies on the line.”