For all the positivity of Newcastle's season, the truth is it could have been even better had they managed to win the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. But the excitement and sheer drama of how they booked their place in the final once again shows how monumental it will be when they finally do lift silverware.
The second part of our review of the 2022-23 season season Eddie Howe's side signing off for the World Cup break in style, then picking up where they left off before new year.
January was quieter in terms of Premier League success but with the Carabao Cup quarter-final and a two-legged semi-final, there was no shortage of celebrations.
November and December
If anyone thought October was simply a fluke month of results for Newcastle, they were thinking otherwise by the middle of November. Eddie Howe’s side showed no signs of slowing down with the winter break approaching as they tore Southampton apart on the road, running out comfortable 4-1 winners at St Mary’s.
Miguel Almiron continued his fine goalscoring form as the Magpies sat third in the table, while it was the beginning of the end for Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.
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“We weren’t at our best today,” bemoaned Howe after his side had just blitzed another top flight side. “But we dug in and showed resilience. We were clinical when we needed to be to get the job done. When you’re not at your best levels, to win by the margin that we did is hugely satisfying. I’ve encouraged the players to enjoy this moment that we are in now.”
Newcastle hoped to take their league momentum into the next round of the Carabao Cup where they faced fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace at St James’ Park. After failing to beat the south London outfit at home earlier in the campaign, Howe’s side again struggled to get the job done in 90 minutes a second time around.
A tense stalemate was eventually decided on penalties as Nick Pope emerged the hero in front of the Leazes End. Only one more match stood between Newcastle and six of their players jetting off to the Middle East for the 2022 Qatar World Cup – the arrival of Graham’s Potter struggling Chelsea.
It had been a below-par campaign for the Blues as they arrived up north hoping to turn things around. But in a game where Potter tinkered and traded throughout, Newcastle were simply too good again. Joe Willock popped up with the game’s only goal in the second period before an emotional celebration in front of the Gallowgate End.
The Magpies, at this point, were just beginning to make a name for themselves when it came to the ‘dark arts’ or ‘game-management’ side of football and it all boiled over as Newcastle tried to run the clock down in the closing stages.
Jamaal Lascelles, who tried to stop Chelsea taking a quick throw-in as he warmed up on the touchline, received a yellow card for his off-field antics before it all kicked off at the full-time whistle. Dan Burn and Kai Havertz went head-to-head, prompting a bit of handbags after the game had ended.
Attention then turned to the controversial World Cup at the end of November. Questions swirled over the ethical considerations of hosting the tournament in Qatar in the winter, but nevertheless Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope, Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar and Garang Kuol flew out to represent their countries.
Newcastle’s sextet fared fairly differently during the tournament, with none of Howe’s players making it beyond the quarter-final. Trippier and Wilson played a small part in England’s journey, while Kuol got to show what he could do for Australia. Kuol and Schar were both sent packing in the last 16 as the Aussies and Switzerland lost to Argentina and Portugal respectively. Bruno’s competition was over when Brazil lost to Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Focus was soon back on club matters and Howe’s men returned fresh from their warm weather training camp in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Toon boss insisted the visit was purely for footballing reasons, but few believed those were the true motives for the destination choice.
Whatever Howe and his players did out there clearly worked wonders, however, as Newcastle picked up where they left off in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth just one day after the World Cup had concluded. An Adam Smith own goal was the difference as the North East outfit progressed to the last eight of the competition.
Newcastle weren’t back in league action until Boxing Day, but there was no Christmas Day hangover on display as they raced out the traps, sticking three beyond a hopeless Leicester City side in the opening 32 minutes. Was this the moment fans really started to believe a historic campaign was unfolding? Probably.
“We can do anything,” Howe told the media after the game. “The season is still young enough for all possibilities to exist for us. I want the fans to believe we can do anything.”
The final game of 2022 saw Newcastle welcome Leeds United to St James’ Park on New Year’s Eve. With both sides in need of a win for different reasons, neither could manage one. A 0-0 snoozefest instead unfolded, with Leeds happy to park the bus and waste as many seconds as possible during a frustrating afternoon on Tyneside.
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For Newcastle, it stretched their impressive unbeaten run since the August defeat to Liverpool but didn’t do Leeds any favours in the end as they would drop to the Championship months later despite the efforts of interim boss Sam Allardyce.
The final two months of the year may have been unusual due to the enforced winter break but they represented a solid end to an incredible year under Howe’s stewardship. From fighting relegation in January 2022, Newcastle fans were suddenly dreaming of Europe and titles by December 2022.
January
Newcastle United’s 2022-23 Premier League campaign will be long remembered, but in January it very much took a backseat to cup action – the Carabao Cup to be specific. This was the month in which the Magpies booked their first Wembley final in 24 years after a night when a local lad became the hero of St James’ Park. We will get to that. First, to the Premier League battle.
Three top-flight games in the first month of 2023 yielded five points, but with only one Newcastle goal scored it was the clean sheet run which dominated discussions. Nick Pope and the reliable four in front of him of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn kept 10 league and cup clean sheets in a row in a run which stretched from before the World Cup, and would not end until February.
United kicked off the year with a gritty goalless draw at Arsenal in a game in which they denied Mikel Arteta’s free-flowing Gunners the chance to hit the heights they had been capable of all season. It was the only time Eddie Howe’s side has perhaps deserved the label of ‘masters of the dark arts’ and it has dogged them since. It is a misnomer and a lazy stereotype put forward by those looking for an easy soundbite – not that anyone at United cares.
Arteta’s touchline antics were in stark contrast to Howe’s calm demeanour as the Magpies got under Arsenal’s skin and earned a valuable point but few friends. Strangely, no one seemed to comment when Fulham tried to do the same to Newcastle in the next league game and almost succeeded.
United left it late to seal a 1-0 victory but the goal was significant for more than just the three points. Alexander Isak had been missing from top-flight action but came off the bench to head home after Callum Wilson intelligently provided for his fellow forward.
It was a big sign the pair could work together.
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The less said about the final league game the better and at least it meant United did not have to face Crystal Palace again. Following two goalless stalemates at St James’ Park in the league and Carabao Cup, Newcastle were again held and frustrated by Palace at Selhurst Park.
In fairness, the home side could have snatched the points if not for a stunning Pope save, so perhaps a point from a Saturday night fixture in the capital should not be sniffed at. January, of course, also brings the winter transfer window. Never the easiest of times to get a deal over the line, this one was not helped by the World Cup skewing the flow of the regular season.
Not that United were idle. After a delay which saw Anthony Gordon miss Everton training for several days, the two clubs eventually settled on a £45m deal for the young forward, although he would have to wait until February for his debut.
Young full-back Harrison Ashby was also signed from West Ham. One for the future, it was another signal this new-look United are not all about splashing the cash on big-name deals.
It also marked the end of an era at the club, with Jonjo Shelvey leaving Tyneside for Nottingham Forest. The midfielder had been an important part of the side which transformed its season under Howe 12 months ago.
However, the former Liverpool man had found opportunities for first-team action hard to come by and so was allowed to move on. He joined Kiwi striker Chris Wood at the City Ground, who moved initially on a loan deal before Forest made the move permanent.
Garang Kuol’s move from Central Coast Mariners was rubber-stamped, the young Aussie sent straight out on loan to Hearts, while Martin Dubravka’s loan to Manchester United was cut short, allowing Karl Darlow to join Hull City, also on loan.
So to the cups. Let’s get the FA Cup out of the way first, shall we? A much-changed side was dumped out of the competition at the third-round stage by League One Sheffield Wednesday on a wet and windy night which is probably best forgotten. If anything, it served to highlight the lack of strength in depth in the squad, but Wednesday were deserved winners on the night.
It was, of course, the Carabao Cup which dominated the headlines.
Wembley talk began to bubble up when Leicester City were comfortably beaten at St James’, Dan Burn scoring his first goal for the club after cutting in from the left and bursting into the box, before Joelinton sealed the win with a well-placed finish. With just Southampton standing between Newcastle and a long-awaited return to Wembley, excitement levels on Tyneside started to build, and a 1-0 first-leg win at St Mary’s did nothing to subdue them.
Just as in the 4-1 Premier League win at the same ground earlier in the season, United dominated the game and should have led by more before Joelinton eventually turned home Isak’s cross. No one was taking anything for granted – this is Newcastle United after all – when the second leg got underway on the last day of the month.
However, we should know by now that Eddie Howe’s United does things differently. As the city held its breath, local hero Sean Longstaff scored not once but twice in a scintillating opening 20 minutes which all-but ensured Newcastle had booked their place in the final.
Of course, Southampton would rally at some stage and when Che Adams pulled one back following a rare mistake by Joe Willock there were understandable nerves. We need not have worried, though. The reality was the Saints needed to score another two just to take it to extra time, and United saw the tie out to spark remarkable scenes of celebration.
The one downside was Bruno Guimaraes’ red card for a late challenge which would rule him out of the next three Premier League games.
Yet as fans rushed to book train travel and hotels, and hoped they were one of the lucky ones to get actual match tickets, all thoughts were on Wembley and a date with Manchester United on February 26.
