Anthony Gordon appeared to aim a subtle dig at Arsenal following Newcastle’s Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Mikel Arteta’s side this evening.
Already trailing 2-0 from the primary leg, the Gunners had a mountain to climb as Jacob Murphy beat David Raya on the rebound after Alexander Isak had fired against the post within the nineteenth minute at St James’ Park.
The visitors, fresh from their thumping 5-1 win over Manchester City within the Premier League, offered little in response and Gordon’s goal shortly into the second period – coming from a poor Raya pass – put the tie to bed.
A concerning hamstring injury to Gabriel Martinelli only added to Arsenal’s woes within the north east and Arteta’s men will look to bounce back away to Leicester after a warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
The Toon, meanwhile, will little question be watching on with interest tomorrow evening to find who they shall be facing at Wembley on March 16. Tottenham hold a 1-0 lead over Liverpool ahead of the second leg at Anfield.
‘It feels amazing. A correct team performance and we got the win,’ Newcastle goalscorer Gordon told Sky Sports shortly after the ultimate whistle.
‘Our fans are never in query, they make it so difficult for the opposition and we did it the correct way.’
What Gordon said next had some Newcastle fans in hysterics, with many convinced the winger had taken inspiration from Erling Haaland’s infamous ‘stay humble’ attack on Arteta to mock the Gunners.
‘We had a game plan we thought would work. Everyone knows we press,’ he added.
‘It is necessary for us to remain humble now.
‘It is going to be an enormous occasion however it’s to this point away.’
Newcastle’s official account on X, formerly often known as Twitter, rubbed more salt within the wound not long after, sharing picture of the matchball together with the caption ‘the perpetrator’.
It comes after Arteta suggested the variety of ball utilized in this yr’s Carabao Cup can have been partly answerable for Arsenal failings last trip on the Emirates.
Newcastle’s manager, meanwhile, had nothing but praise for his players’ application over the 2 legs, telling Sky Sports: ‘We desired to get pressure on them [William Saliba and Gabriel] and with a purpose to do this we needed to get bodies in the correct areas and press high – that’s how we decided to do it.
‘You realize you’re playing against elite players and one mistake could make things difficult. We needed to be ourselves, be front foot. If not then it might probably quickly be 1-0 and 2-0 and then you definitely are on the back foot.
‘We needed to work on set plays as their set play threat is so high. Within the reverse fixture there have been some moments where we got a bit lucky.
‘Again our team selection was based on having height, especially without Joelinton, we wanted Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Sven Botman. We defended the set plays very well today.’
Howe added: ‘It is big [to book a place at Wembley]. The primary appearance there was a bit unexpected, however the club we wish to be we’ve to be there often, so it’s not a surprise.
‘We’re there on merit, our run has not been easy this yr, we’ve faced 4 Premier League teams, so we’ve done the hard yards.
‘Hopefully we will learn from the last experience and improve our performance.’
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