Newcastle reach English Football League Cup final for the first time in 47 years
Newcastle United, an English professional football team, advanced to the final of the English Football League (EFL) Cup for the first time in 47 years.
Newcastle beat Southampton 2-1 in the second leg of the semifinals at St James’ Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England on January 31. Sean Longstaff scored two goals to lead the victory. Newcastle, which won 1-0 in the first round on the 25th of last month, advanced to the final with a 3-1 total lead in the first and second rounds.
It is the second time Newcastle has reached the EFL Cup final since the 1975-1976 season. According to statistics company Opta, Newcastle was registered as the club that took the longest time for the team that advanced to the EFL Cup final to reach the final again. If the scope is expanded to all tournaments in England, Newcastle will be the first in 24 years following the 1998-1999 season when they finished second in the English Football Association (FA) Cup.
The game was decided early on. Newcastle scored the first goal in the first five minutes. Longstaff scored a pass from Kieran Trippier. And in the 21st minute of the first half, with a 1-0 lead, Longstaff shot Miguel Almiron’s pass and split the net again. New-castle conceded a goal in the 29th minute of the first half, but finished as it was and won a ticket to the finals.
New-castle was sold to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (PIF) in October 2021 from Michael Ashley, a British company, and received huge investment. New-castle was in the mid-range last season, ranking 11th in the English Premier League (EPL), but it has greatly increased its power and is in third place.
New-castle face Manchester United-Nottingham Forest winner in final Manchester United have a 3-0 win over Nottingham in the first leg, giving them an advantageous position to advance to the finals.