Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle United, has downplayed the significance of the North London team being on the verge of the League Cup Final, following a midweek incentive to bolster the team’s confidence with a 2-0 win over the Arsenal team.

A strong second half allowed Gordon to get a goal along with Isak, which rounded up Newcastle’s seventh consecutive competitive win. St James’ Park has solidified its name as a stark fortress for Newcastle, winning 2-0 yet again.

However, Arsenal was still at a pivotal advantage, as history showed that in all past eight challenges, teams that had an away advantage of 2-0 for the first leg won the ease of beating the aggregate and getting to the finals. Newcastle still had a chance to perform at their peak, but losing the final at Wembley pushed them to painfully fight harder.

Alas, Howe lost there as he felt that there was round adequate work that had to be put in to contest for the real prize. The team has been performing at its best, so it would not be shocking had they won the cup.

Howe stated, “Today marks a significant achievement, especially after witnessing the impressive away tour we recently had,” in reference to the streak of victories his team achieved which also includes the recent match against Everton. After Sporting’s 3rd goal, the team went on to secure a comeback goal making the final score 2-3 while ensuring they qualified for the semi finals courtesy of the aggregate 4-4 scoreline.

While praising the determination and confidence exhibited by the team, Howe also mentioned that the tie is still open with the team having to play at home. “It’s still very much balanced and not clinched yet, but I am sure we will perform very well at home,” Howe stated confidently.

In the second half of the game, it was apparent that Howe's team faced exhaustion and fatigue however, they defended quite well while Arsenal tried their best to secure a comeback goal. “There was a lot of fatigue in the second half," he said. “The only concern for us was our mentality to defend and what we had on the line, but we knew starting off strong was key.”