Eddie Howe would have taken this – defeat by Chelsea ‘A’ on Sunday followed by victory over Chelsea ‘B’ three days later, and neither he nor supporters will care about the nature of the shadow team in opposition.
Given this campaign marks 70 years since Newcastle’s last domestic trophy, a Carabao Cup quarter-final is worth more than three Premier League points right now.
Even before a ball was kicked this felt like a season-shaping night for Howe and his players, who are five without a win in the league and have dropped to 12th. A cup exit here would have taken with it a sense of enthusiasm for the weeks and months ahead. This, rather, will generate a momentum that has stalled of late.
Chelsea’s team-sheet – 11 changes from the 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge – was advantage Newcastle, especially as it removed Cole Palmer, their weekend tormentor. It was baffling why he travelled 300 miles north yet never left the bench. But how the home win was deserved after a performance of high energy on an occasion of such high stakes, at least for them.
Howe’s second-half substitution of Sandro Tonali was booed on Sunday, but with the Italian running this game from a new central role in midfield and his manager cannily withdrawing him in 92nd minute, the pair were duly serenaded by the Gallowgate End. One fan behind the dugout even hollered, ‘I love you, Eddie’.
‘The backing of the crowd means everything,’ said Howe. ‘If you don’t have that support, the job becomes very difficult. Football can change in a heartbeat and so can momentum and emotion. We got the result and performance we needed.’
St James’ Park always rallies for nights like this, when the noise around the club is converted to a racket in the stands. Anthony Gordon plugged in the amplifier inside 30 seconds when he slid to block an attempted Marc Cucurella clearance, lifting a section of the East Stand from their seats. Rarely has a throw-in conceded felt so motivational. It set the tone for a first half that was everything Newcastle wanted and needed it to be.
Yes, Chelsea missed two glorious chances when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall fluffed a one-on-one and Tonali diverted a Renato Veiga blast wide of the post, but Newcastle played as if their season depended on it.
It was no surprise when their opening goal on 23 minutes came from an aggressive press inside Chelsea’s penalty area. Tonali made the final challenge that doubled as an assist – his first for the club – and Alexander Isak finished from close range.
Three minutes later and it was 2-0. Isak’s cross was helped on by the head of Joe Willock and Axel Disasi bundled over the line after getting himself in a tangle. Disasi was one of the alternative names put to Howe in the summer as the pursuit of Marc Guehi ran into trouble. Club chiefs told the reluctant manager he could be valuable this season. Turns out they were right.
Chelsea later set up camp in Newcastle territory during the closing half hour but, without Palmer, never did Newcastle’s two-goal deficit feel in any danger.
Maresca disagreed, when he said: ‘If you analyse the performance, it (11 changes) worked, if you analyse the result, it didn’t. We had clear chances in the first half and controlled the game in the second. We lost because of 10 minutes.’
It leaves the Newcastle two games from Wembley and, given they came into this tie one game from a potential crisis, there is no under-estimating the significance of the outcome, even if it was against Chelsea’s understudies.
