Carabao Cup: Newcastle United secure first-leg victory over Arsenal
What's the story
Newcastle United have taken a commanding lead in their Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Arsenal, having registered a decisive 2-0 win in the first leg at Emirates Stadium.
The victory was largely due to the outstanding performance of Alexander Isak, who scored his 10th goal in nine games.
Despite Arsenal's aggressive offense and numerous opportunities, they were unable to penetrate Newcastle's defense.
Match highlights
Isak and Gordon's goals lead Newcastle to victory
Isak opened the scoring for Newcastle by capitalizing on a defensive error from Arsenal.
He later played a crucial role in the team's second goal, assisting Anthony Gordon.
Despite being without key players Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar due to suspension, Newcastle managed to maintain their two-goal lead throughout the match.
On the other hand, Arsenal struggled with poor finishing despite having multiple set-piece chances.
Upcoming challenges
Arsenal face uphill battle in 2nd leg
The defeat leaves Arsenal with a mammoth task of overturning a two-goal deficit in the second leg at St James's Park on February 5.
The setback comes as Arsenal already trail Liverpool by six points in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United are riding high on a seven-game winning streak across all competitions, keeping alive their hopes of ending a 55-year trophy drought.
Information
Here are the match stats
Arsenal had 23 attempts with three shots on target. Newcastle had 7 attempts with 4 shots on target. The Gunners owned 70% ball possession and an 87% pass accuracy. Arsenal also created six big chances to Newcastle's two.
Do you know?
Isak completes 50 goals for Newcastle
Isak has completed 50 goals for the Magpies in 88 appearances across competitions. Isak owns 15 goals this season with 13 of them coming in the Premier League. He scored 25 goals last season in all competitions and 10 in his first campaign.