Newcastle Defeats Arsenal to Secure League Cup Final Spot
NEWCASTLE, England (Reuters) - Newcastle United reached a second League Cup final in three seasons as they overwhelmed Arsenal 2-0 at a feverish St James' Park on Wednesday to complete a crushing 4-0 aggregate win.
Moments after Arsenal's Martin Odegaard wasted a chance to halve the deficit, Jacob Murphy tucked away a rebound in the 19th minute after Alexander Isak's shot hit the woodwork.
Arsenal, surprisingly beaten 2-0 at home in the first leg, suffered another off-night and their fate was sealed when Anthony Gordon punished a defensive error in the 52nd minute to put the hosts in cruise control.
Newcastle, who have not won a major trophy since 1955, will play either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the Wembley final next month when they hope to go one better than 2023 when they lost in the final to Manchester United.
Tottenham hold a 1-0 lead ahead of Thursday's second-leg at Anfield.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)
