A club reborn after its Saudi-backed takeover, Newcastle is headed to a first cup final this century in a season that could also end with Champions League qualification.
Newcastle beat Southampton 2-1 on Tuesday 바카라 despite a late red card for star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes 바카라 to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory in the English League Cup semifinals, thrilling the northeast team바카라s success-starved fans who waved black-and-white scarves while singing about going to Wembley Stadium.
The final at English football's national stadium is on Feb. 26 and Newcastle is likely to be facing Manchester United, which leads 3-0 from last week바카라s first leg at Nottingham Forest. Their return game is played Wednesday.
Newcastle can expect more heady days over the next few years now that it has the richest owners in world soccer, having been bought by Saudi Arabia바카라s sovereign wealth fund 18 months ago.
High-profile signings are sure to come, especially if Newcastle finishes in the top four of the Premier League 바카라 it is currently in third place 바카라 to get into the lucrative Champions League. Before that comes its first League Cup final since 1976, and a first trip to Wembley since the FA Cup final against Man United in 1999.
바카라You want to be in finals of competitions to increase your status and make yourself more desirable for people to join,바카라 Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. 바카라This is a club on the up.바카라
The player pushing Newcastle into the final Tuesday was a local lad.
Sean Longstaff, a 25-year-old midfielder from nearby North Shields, scored in the fifth and 21st minutes at a vibrant St. James바카라 Park to put Newcastle 3-0 ahead on aggregate, building on Joelinton바카라s winner in the first leg in Southampton last week.
Longstaff drove home an angled shot for the first goal and then finished off a flowing team move 바카라 involving Joelinton, Joe Willock and Miguel Almiron 바카라 for an excellent second.
바카라The place was bouncing and the energy they gave off was unbelievable,바카라 Longstaff said of Newcastle바카라s fans. 바카라They stuck with us through thick and thin and when times were not great and it was pretty bleak. I am so happy for them.바카라
Che Adams pulled one back for the visitors from the south coast in the 29th, only the second goal Newcastle has conceded in all competitions since Nov. 6.
But second-half pressure failed to yield another goal for Southampton, which eliminated Manchester City in the quarterfinals.
Guimaraes was sent off in the 82nd minute for stamping on the lower leg of Southampton substitute Samuel Edozie. The initial awarding of a yellow card to the Brazil international was changed to a red after the referee viewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Guimaraes will miss Newcastle바카라s next three games 바카라 all of which are in the Premier League 바카라 but will be available for the final.
Newcastle will head into next month바카라s final looking to win its first major trophy since the FA Cup in 1955.
BLACKBURN ADVANCES
In the FA Cup, Blackburn beat fellow second-tier team Birmingham 1-0 in a fourth-round replay to set up a match against Leicester in the last 16.
Birmingham defender Auston Trusty scored an own-goal in the first half of extra time.
