Arsenal's key strength becomes their biggest weakness on damaging night in Newcastle

On a nighttime erstwhile Arsenal needed goals, it ended up being their defence that fto them down.

Just 3 days earlier the 2nd limb of this Carabao Cup semi-final, Arsenal had shackled Erling Haaland and the Manchester City onslaught connected their mode to a 5-1 win.

But they were each implicit the spot astatine Newcastle arsenic Eddie Howe’s broadside booked themselves a spot successful adjacent month’s last astatine Wembley.

Alexander Isak tormented Arsenal’s centre-backs successful the archetypal limb and it was the aforesaid story, here.

The Swede thought helium had scored wrong the opening 5 minutes, lone for VAR to travel to Arsenal’s rescue by ruling him offside.

It could not prevention Arsenal 15 minutes later, though, arsenic Isak struck the station with a superb left-footed strike. Jacob Murphy was determination to people the rebound and Newcastle had a 3-0 pb connected aggregate and 1 ft successful the final.

The archetypal extremity ever felt captious successful this crippled if Arsenal were to equine a historical comeback.

No broadside has ever overturned a two-goal shortage aft losing astatine location successful the archetypal limb of a League Cup semi-final.

Arsenal came adjacent to getting that all-important archetypal goal. But seconds aft Martin Odegaard deed the post, Murphy stuck.

The extremity gave content and substance to an already rampant St. James’ Park, and settled immoderate pre-match nerves.

Newcastle played with a back-five, but they pressed relentlessly from the front. At times, the looming beingness of Dan Burn was hunting Arsenal players down each the mode by the Gunners’ punishment area.

That seemed to unsettle Arsenal, who looked particularly susceptible erstwhile Newcastle deed them connected the counter.

Mikel Arteta’s broadside had 69 per cent possession successful the archetypal half, nevertheless it was the hosts that looked the astir threatening.

Gabriel and Saliba could not woody with Anthony Gordon, who was getting joyousness retired near and setup Isak for his extremity that was ruled retired successful the opening 5 minutes.

Never earlier person Saliba, Gabriel and Raya performed truthful badly

There was an antithetic nervousness astir Arsenal’s defence and that continued into the 2nd half.

Gabriel headed the shot to Saliba aft Newcastle had launched a speculative walk forward, and the Frenchman was caught retired trying to crook Gordon.

He got distant with it, arsenic Gordon dragged the changeable wide. But, 3 minutes later, that luck ran out.

This clip it was David Raya that was astatine fault. The Spaniard played a mediocre walk to Declan Rice, who was tackled by Fabian Schar close connected the borderline of the area.

Gordon could not miss this clip and helium celebrated by the corner, waving a scarf successful beforehand of the jubilant Newcastle fans.

The necktie was good and genuinely dormant aft that. It became a lawsuit of harm regulation for Arsenal, who had already seen Gabriel Martinelli travel disconnected successful the archetypal fractional with what looked similar a hamstring injury.

As the crippled ticked past the hr mark, Leandro Trossard and Odegaard were taken disconnected for Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling. A motion that Arteta agreed the crippled was done.

A remainder is conscionable what galore of this squad request aft a gruelling January and a achy nighttime astatine Newcastle.