Soccer
Eddie Howe praised Newcastle United’s aggression and said it is “not a surprise” that his side sealed their place in another EFL Cup final at Wembley.
And Howe feels his team have “done the hard yards” by overcoming four Premier League teams en route.
The Magpies held a 2-0 advantage over Arsenal from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium and mirrored that result in Wednesday’s second leg thanks to goals from Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon.
Newcastle have now reached their second EFL Cup final in the last three seasons (also 2022-23), more than they managed in their first 62 participations in the competition beforehand (one in 1975-76).
It is also the fifth time that Howe’s Newcastle have got the better of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, with only Pep Guardiola (nine) and Jurgen Klopp (10) beating the Gunners during his time in charge more often.
“It was a great night for us. It was a tough game, but tactically we were good,” Howe told Sky Sports.
“The intention was to be aggressive and sometimes when you do that it doesn’t always work. Today it did. I thought it helped to solidify our plan. We had to retreat at times, but we were always in the game.
“We wanted to get pressure on them [William Saliba and Gabriel] and in order to do that we had to get bodies in the right areas and press high – that is how we decided to do it.
“You know you are playing against elite players, and one mistake can make things difficult. We had to be ourselves, be front foot. If not, then it can quickly be 1-0 and 2-0, and then you are on the back foot.
“It is huge [to get back to Wembley]. The first appearance there was a bit unexpected, but the club we want to be we have to be there regularly, so it’s not a surprise. We are there on merit. Our run has not been easy this year. We’ve faced four Premier League teams, so we have done the hard yards.
“Hopefully, we can learn from the last experience and improve our performance.”
Newcastle have beaten Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Brentford and now Arsenal to make the final, with their only lower-league team in this competition coming in the form of AFC Wimbledon.
Howe’s side will now face either Tottenham or Liverpool, who play the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday, but Gordon has urged his team-mates not to get ahead of themselves just yet.
“It feels amazing. A proper team performance and we got the win,” Gordon told Sky Sports.
“Our fans are never in question; they make it so difficult for the opposition, and we did it the right way.
“We had a game plan we thought would work. Everyone knows we press. It is important for us to stay humble now. It will be a big occasion, but it’s so far away.”
Read MoreSoccerNews