Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe warned his team not to get carried away after they moved within touching distance of the EFL Cup final with a 1-0 win against Southampton in Tuesday’s semi-final first leg.
Joelinton netted in the second half at St Mary’s to put Howe’s side on the brink of their first domestic cup final since 1999.
Southampton’s Duje Caleta-Car was sent off in the closing stages as a feisty clash boiled over.
Photo: Reuters
Nathan Jones’ team, bottom of the English Premier League, felt hard done by after Adam Armstrong’s equalizer was disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR) for a handball.
However, Newcastle can book their long-awaited trip to Wembley in the second leg at St James’ Park on Tuesday, with the winner facing Manchester United or Nottingham Forest in the final.
However, Howe is not yet taking anything for granted.
“It’s been a good day, but there’s still a long way to go in the tie. Pleased to win, that was our aim, but we know 1-0 is delicate,” Howe said. “It was a tough game. I thought both teams had their moments. Nothing is decided. We go back to St James’ with our fans behind us.”
Admitting Newcastle were fortunate to avoid conceding Armstrong’s disallowed equalizer, Howe said: “I thought it was a goal. Very pleased to see VAR intervene.”
Newcastle are enjoying a renaissance this season thanks to Howe’s astute leadership and the financial investment of the club’s Saudi-backed ownership group.
The Magpies sit third in the Premier League and are making their first domestic semi-final appearance since 2005.
Underlining Newcastle’s new, confident attitude, Howe had said merely reaching a semi-final was “not enough,” as he aims to win the club’s first major domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup.
The Magpies’ most recent domestic cup final ended in defeat against Manchester United in the 1999 FA Cup, with their last major silverware coming in the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
For Newcastle, this is their most promising period since the Kevin Keegan era in the 1990s, and they left the south coast having taken another step on the road back to relevance.
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