Eddie Howe was standing so close to the Carabao Cup that the Newcastle United head coach could have picked up the trophy and lifted it into the sky while he was interviewed by broadcasters pitchside. It was a rather fitting image on a night where the Magpies moved one step closer to taking the trophy home by finally reaching their first League Cup semi-final in 47 years following a 2-0 win against Leicester City at St James' Park.
This competition has been sneered at over the years - even by influential figures who called the shots at Newcastle in a previous era - but not anymore. You only had to witness the scenes after the final whistle to realise that after tens of thousands of supporters stayed behind to applaud players and staff off the field when, at other clubs, a quarter-final win might not be celebrated so gratefully. It felt like a glimpse into a bright future.
Fans, still on a high from Dan Burn and Joelinton's goals, raised their scarves aloft as they sang along to 'Hey Jude!'; Miguel Almiron clenched his fists on the victory lap; Burn even danced in the dressing room...if these were the scenes after a quarter-final win, can you imagine what it would be like if this side one day ended the club's trophy drought?
