Newcastle United Handed Carabao Cup Final Rematch In Next Round After Beating Manchester City

Wednesday night's Carabao Cup action saw Newcastle United knock out eight-time winners Manchester City in the third round of the competition in front of a jubilant crowd at St. James' Park.

Alexander Isak scored the only goal of the game shortly after the second half began as he found himself at the far post to net his fourth goal of the season. Last season's finalists managed to withstand pressure from Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side for the rest of the second half to come out with the win.

Newcastle's reward for knocking out Manchester City is a visit to Manchester United in the next round, which will be a repeat of last year's Carabao Cup final that saw the Red Devils come out on top with a 2-0 win at Wembley Stadium. The upcoming tie will take place in late October with the winner then moving on to the quarter finals.

Surprisingly, Erling Haaland did not enter Wednesday night's game for Manchester City at any point and was an unused substitute. This decision from Guardiola raised a few questions considering his side were in need of a goal.

Newcastle's intent was much brighter in the second half as the first period saw them get completely dominated. This forced Newcastle boss Eddie Howe to send on Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon for the second half to help spring some life into the home side.

In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Howe reflected on how the match was a game of two halves. He said: "The first half was tough. Man City played well, we didn't play particularly well but defended well."

He continued: "Then second half we were excellent in most aspects and probably deserved to win in the end."

Howe also touched on the importance of the Carabao Cup to Newcastle, stating: "The run last year was an inspiration to us. Something we look back on with real pride. We want to go one further if we can, although there's a long way to go."

Last season's Carabao Cup final was Newcastle's first major final appearance in 24 years, and they will be hoping they can go one better this time round, but Erik ten Hag's side will stand in their way again. The Red Devils secured their passage into the fourth round by comfortably beating Crystal Palace 3-0 on Tuesday night at Old Trafford.

Newcastle now look to be restoring their confidence after a tough few weeks earlier in the season. The Magpies came into the game off the back of a sensational 8-0 win away at Sheffield United in the Premier League this past weekend and picked up a point in their UEFA Champions League return away to AC Milan.

Whilst it was a joyful occasion on Wednesday night at St. James' Park, Howe will be concerned with the number of injuries Newcastle have picked up of late. Isak had to come off shortly after he scored against Manchester City due to a calf problem whilst Guimaraes was struggling in the game with an ankle issue.

Ruled out of the game with Manchester City together was Callum Wilson, with a hamstring problem, whilst Sven Botman had to miss the game with a knee issue. Also, on the sidelines now is new summer signing, Harvey Barnes, who got injured against Sheffield United and is expected to miss the rest of 2023 with an unusual toe injury.

Joe Willock also remains unavailable for selection as after nursing a hamstring problem previously, he then had a further setback with an Achilles injury. This mounting injury list could be a detriment to Newcastle's season as key players continuing to be unavailable may mean the club cannot compete the way it hopes in all competitions.

Newcastle are competing in the Champions League for the first time in two decades and face a tough challenge in reaching the knockout stages as they are joined by AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund in their group. Newcastle supporters will be eager to see their team do well in Europe, but due to injuries, the side may struggle to handle the demands of competing domestically and in Europe.

However, these are the situations in which top clubs who want to compete at the highest level often find themselves in every season, so Howe will be eager to install a fighting spirit into the dressing room so that the team remains on course. Newcastle aspire to be in this elite category of top clubs after being taken over by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian, Public Investment Fund (PIF), in late 2021.

The club has received strong financial backing in the transfer market from its new owners and Newcastle fans will be hoping that eventually pays off and the club can win its first piece of major silverware since 1955. The club seemingly is heading in the right trajectory but getting that first trophy to mark the new era is crucial, and the Carabao Cup may present a great opportunity for them.