Newcastle United 2-0 Arsenal: Player Ratings and Match Highlights
Tyler Fell
15 – 19 minutes
Newcastle United booked another trip to Wembley Stadium, advancing to the EFL Cup final with a 4-0 victory on aggregate against Arsenal on Wednesday evening.
Newcastle thought they had got off to a dream start with Alexander Isak giving them a three-goal lead on aggregate after just three minutes but the big Swede was slightly offside.
A golden opportunity after an excellent Arsenal move fell at the feet of Martin Odegaard in the 15th minute, which he sliced wide. Odegaard’s shocking miss led to the hosts taking a 1-0 lead. A simple long goal kick from Martin Dubravka was brought down brilliantly by Isak, who played a one-two with Anthony Gordon to find himself through on goal. Isak’s shot cannoned off the woodwork and fell perfectly into the path of Jacob Murphy, who put his side 3-0 up on aggregate.
Arsenal were dealt a blow in the 37th minute when Gabriel Martinelli went down with an injury. The Brazilian was replaced by 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. At half-time, Newcastle went into the break with what looked to be a comfortable 3-0 lead on aggregate. However, Arsenal still carried a threat in front of goal.
The Arsenal defence looked incredibly unsettled in the first half and early in the second half, they almost had their heads in their hands. William Saliba attempted to play the ball back to David Raya but his pass was poor, and the ball was picked up by Gordon, who fired just wide from distance while the Spaniard was miles out of position.
Just minutes after getting let off by an individual error, there was no getting away with the next one Arsenal made as Newcastle made it 2-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate. Raya tried to play the ball out to Rice but his pass was slightly short and it was intercepted by Gordon once again, who did not stop running throughout the match. The Englishman slotted it into the bottom corner to put his side in a comfortable lead with around 40 minutes to go.
Not much happened after Newcastle went two goals up. Arsenal had plenty of possession but didn’t do anything with it and managed to secure another trip to Wembley.
Newcastle United 2-0 Arsenal – Match Statistics
Newcastle United
Statistic
Arsenal
32
Possession (%)
68
10
Shots
11
3
Shots on Target
3
1
Corners
13
3
Saves
1
2
Yellow Cards
2
Match Highlights
Newcastle United Player Ratings
Newcastle players celebrate scoring against Arsenal in the EFL Cup
GK: Martin Dubravka – 7.5/10
Made a great save in the first half to deny Trossard, but other than that, he didn’t have much to do as the defence in front of him was outstanding.
RWB: Kieran Trippier – 7/10
Defended really well against Trossard and managed to keep him quiet throughout the match.
CB: Fabian Schar – 8/10
Defended excellently all evening and played a huge part in Newcastle’s second goal when he won the ball back.
CB: Sven Botman – 7.5/10
The Dutchman kept the Arsenal forwards very quiet throughout the match and put his body on the line for many blocks and clearances.
CB: Dan Burn – 8/10
Solid as a rock. The big centre-back helped out Hall on multiple occasions and stood up the Arsenal attackers well in one-on-one situations.
LWB: Lewis Hall – 8/10
Hall’s energy and drive up and down the left flank all evening was superb. The young full-back contributed a lot both defensively and offensively.
RM: Jacob Murphy – 7.5/10
Hardly touched the ball after scoring, but his energy was noticeable and difficult for Arsenal to deal with.
CM: Sandro Tonali – 7.5/10
The Italian was tidy on the ball and very energetic in midfield all evening.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes – 7.5/10
Just like his midfield partner, Guimaraes worked hard all evening and had some good moments in possession.
LM: Anthony Gordon – 8.5/10
Gordon was not just an attacking threat and managed to get on the scoresheet, he did not stop running for the entire match and his relentless pressing forced the Arsenal defenders to make many mistakes.
ST: Alexander Isak – 9/10
To bully arguably the best centre-back in the world for 90 minutes just shows how special Isak is. The Swede’s hold-up play and pressing all throughout the match was phenomenal and Arsenal’s defence looked terrified every single time he was bearing down on them.
SUB: Joe Willock – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Emil Krafth – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Sean Longstaff – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Callum Wilson – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Lewis Miley – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Martin Odegaard looking devastated after missing a chance
GK: David Raya – 4.5/10
Made a poor error for Newcastle’s second goal and looked nervy on the ball all evening.
RB: Jurrien Timber – 5.5/10
Saw a lot of the ball but didn’t really do much with it. The Dutchman had a horrible night defending against Gordon.
CB: William Saliba – 4/10
Was bullied by Isak and was let off several times for his poor passing out of defence.
CB: Gabriel – 5/10
Just like his defensive partner Saliba, Gabriel also looked very uncomfortable throughout the match and was bullied by Isak at times.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6.5/10
The youngster once again was very energetic and hard-working down the left flank, but he couldn’t contribute much going forward.
CM: Thomas Partey – 6.5/10
Was pretty good on the ball but struggled to deal with Tonali and Guimaraes’ pressing at times.
CM: Declan Rice – 6.5/10
Was partly responsible for Newcastle’s second goal as he didn’t get to Raya’s pass quickly enough. Rice played well enough and produced a few good chances.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 5/10
Missed a sitter in the first half which would have given Arsenal the lead. Overall, Odegaard didn’t really have an impact on the match and was taken off after an hour.
RW: Gabriel Martinelli – 6.5/10
Started the game positively but was forced off due to an injury in the first half.
ST: Kai Havertz – 5/10
Extremely ineffective up front. Havertz was easily dealt with by Newcastle’s three centre-backs.
LW: Leandro Trossard – 5.5/10
Missed a big chance in the first-half and after that, he wasn’t very effective going forward.
SUB: Ethan Nwaneri – 6/10
The youngster tried his best to make things happen and attack but was somewhat ineffective.
SUB: Raheem Sterling – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Mikel Merino – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Riccardo Calafiori – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
SUB: Jorginho – N/A
Didn’t do much after being brought on.
Man of the Match
Alexander Isak
Newcastle players celebrating against Arsenal in the EFL Cup
What a performance from Alexander Isak. Arsenal are known for their world-class centre-backs, but the big Swede made them look like amateurs. He completely bullied William Saliba and Gabriel and they looked terrified every single time he was pressing and bearing down on them.
It wasn’t just his physical presence which was excellent, it was his hold-up play. His play with Anthony Gordon for their opening goal was top quality and just a sign of things to come later in the match. Isak is one of the best strikers in world football right now and this performance showed exactly why he is so highly thought of.
