Coming off consecutive losses in the Premier League and a winless streak of the last three games, Newcastle had little hope of getting past Chelsea in the EFL Round of 16. However, they did it in fashion, securing a convincing 2-0 win at home. Having entered the knockout fixture as the underdogs, on the back of a disappointing 1-2 loss against the Blues, Howe's men performed remarkably to keep their trophy hopes alive.
Newcastle advances to the Carabao Cup Quarterfinals defeating Chelsea 2-0 at home
Enforcing some key suggestions into his starting XI, manager Eddie Howe's tactics worked effectively to keep Newcastle's unbeaten Carabao streak alive. Although, as was expected, the Tyneside club did look in trouble at times against Chelsea's attack force, the overall unit responded remarkably in the 2-0 win at St. James.
From the initial minutes, Newcastle United had made their intentions clear to play with high intensity, unlike their last few games. Even though they did concede some crucial chances in the process, a brilliant effort from their back four kept them ahead of Chelsea. Soon came the moment for which Newcastle fans had been waiting as their star forward Alexander Isak put the ball past Jorgensen, giving his side the 1-0 lead.
In the 23rd minute, a brilliant demonstration of effective pressing saw ace midfielder Tonali make an excellent recovery, which Isak finished with a brilliant placement for their go-ahead goal. While the scoreline had been just 1-0 in Newcastle's favor, it seemed as if it acted as the perfect boost for Howe's side to get things back on track. As a result, the side boosted with confidence and took charge of the game, now looking much more comfortable in the fixture.
Minutes later, Newcastle's pressure build-up on Chelsea's backline got them their second goal. A deflection of Isak's through ball, followed by Willock's header inside the box, helped them get 2-0 up as Axel Disasi, in an attempt to clear the ball, ended up registering his own goal. While the lead in the 23rd minute had put Newcastle mentally much ahead in the fixture, the second goal made their winning choices more certain.
Although there were attempts from both sides, the scoreline remained 2-0 in Newcastle's favor at the end of 90 minutes. With this win, the Magpies club has kept their hopes of a trophy alive as they advance to the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup. Newcastle fans would hope that they finish the season with at least a trophy in their cabinet, as they would be next against Brentford to keep their title contentions alive.