Newcastle cruise into Carabao Cup final after Sean Longstaff sinks Southampton

Residents of Wembley can look forward to some rousing renditions of the Blaydon Races when Newcastle make their first appearance in a major final this century.

Perhaps appropriately it was a local lad, Sean Longstaff, who scored the two second-leg goals which sparked frenzied celebrations on Tyneside. Almost 24 years after losing the 1999 FA Cup final to Manchester United Newcastle finally have an opportunity to win their first trophy since the Fairs Cup in 1969.

Bruno Guimarães will almost certainly start the final but the midfield catalyst will miss the next three Premier League games after being red carded for stamping on the ankle of Sam Edozie in the second half.

While Southampton’s manager, Nathan Jones, had optimistically warned Newcastle that their 1-0 advantage from the first leg represented a “tricky lead”, Eddie Howe cautioned his players against dropping deep and going into “protection mode”. It did not take long to determine that they had been listening.

Newcastle’s manager named the same starting XI that had won 1-0 on the south coast last week but Jones made four changes. In came the former Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong, along with Ché Adams, Jan Bednarek and new recruit, James Bree. After running out to be greeted by an extraordinary wall of noise, the former Bristol City defender will surely not forget his debut at right wing-back for Jones’s slide in a hurry.

Within five minutes the soundtrack switched to “We’re going to Wembley” after Longstaff’s perfectly angled shot flew across Gavin Bazunu and into the bottom corner. It is no exaggeration to say that opening goal sent St James’ Park wild.

Fortunately for Bree’s self-esteem Southampton’s left wing-back, Kyle Walker-Peters, was the defender