Newcastle United v Arsenal - as it happened

It's about time Newcastle won something again. Isn't it? No pot since their Fairs Cup win of 1969, no domestic trophy since they won the FA Cup in 1955, quite frankly, this is getting ridiculous. The nearest they've come to a cup since, given you can't possibly count their non-appearances in the 1998 and 1999 FA Cup finals: The 1976 League Cup, which was decided by Dennis Tueart's magnificent goal for Manchester City, the greatest League Cup final moment of all time, according to some poll or other. So can they take another tilt at the trophy? Well, for a place in the quarter final, they'll need to get past Arsene Wenger's kids. Wenger has pledged to field a strong team, saying Arsenal will "go for every single competition with every resource we have". Aye, right you are. Newcastle too will ring the changes, with the derby against Sunderland coming up at the weekend, but they'll go into the game with confidence nonetheless, having disposed of England's champions, Chelsea, in the last round. Here's hoping for an easy-on-the-eye cracker from the second strings. Kick off: 7.45pm. Newcastle United, with nine changes from the weekend: Krul, Perch, Williamson, Kadar, Ryan Taylor, Routledge, Guthrie, Smith, Vuckic, Lovenkrands, Ranger. Subs: Soderberg, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Barton, Carroll, Gutierrez, Tiote. Arsenal, also with nine changes from the weekend: Szczesny, Eboue, Djourou, Koscielny, Gibbs, Denilson, Eastmond, Rosicky, Walcott, Bendtner, Vela. Subs: Fabianski, Sagna, Fabregas, Arshavin, Emmanuel-Thomas, Lansbury, Nordtveit. Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands). A heads up while we're waiting: Arsenal fans may be interested in the latest edition of Resonance FM's Cafe Calcio football show , as it contains a piece on Herbert Chapman. It would also appear they're trying to get in touch with the legendary Gunners boss this weekend by ouija board, or something, so you may well want to keep an ear out for that. [Other podcasts are available ( cough, splutter, ahem )] The teams are out and about. A warm embrace between Chris Hughton and Arsene Wenger on the touchline, and we're off! Newcastle get the ball rolling. And within 15 seconds Williamson is robbed by Rosicky, who sets Vela free down the inside-left channel. He should score, but Krul kicks the effort, heading for the bottom-right corner, up and away for a corner. What a start that would have been. 2 min: Wow, this is some start to the match. From the corner on the left, Bendtner takes a swipe at the far post, but Krul is down quickly to smother. Then, up the other end, Vuckic romps down the left and whips a shot into the side netting. A breathless opening. 4 min: Eboue bombs down the right, cuts inside, and lashes a low shot straight down Krul's throat. This game is as open as they come. Hope it stays that way. "I think you'll find that Newcastle have won something recently, namely The Football League Champsionship Trophy," notes Nicholas Einhorn. It's a fresher entry on the roll of honour than anything Arsenal can boast, I suppose, if you decide to look at it from a certain angle. 5 min: Oh this is just getting silly now. First Walcott blazes down the right, cuts into the area, draws Krul, but can't get his cross to Rosicky in the centre, allowig Williamson to head clear. Then a few seconds later, Bendtner bursts clear down the left, only to drag his shot wide right of goal. 8 min: Gibbs takes a first-time swipe while just to the left of the Newcastle D; his low effort is deflected out for a corner that's cleared with ease. "As a young Newcastle fan, me and my mate somehow convinced ourselves that we should have won the 1998 FA Cup final 6-2," writes Laurie Hugget-Wilde, from a parallel universe in another dimension. "Can't entirely remember how we came to that, but think it was by casting a very biased eye other things. But still, I resent "non-apperance". As we should have won 6-2." 10 min: Lovenkrands whistles down the right, then runs along the face of the box as he cuts inside. He lays the ball off to Vuckic, who shapes to shoot but is quickly closed down by Djourou and Koscielny. "Newcastle also won the final Intertoto Cup," writes Jeff Cumpson, "but it was a certificate rather than a trophy. And former captain Scott Parker looked rather embarrassed when he was presented with it." But why? If certificates are good enough to make eight-year-old swimmers and grade-one pianists happy, they're surely more than good enough for keeping Premier League footballers content. 14 min: What a miss by Nile Ranger! He powers wonderfully past Djourou in the centre and into the area. Szczesny comes out and makes no contact with the ball, but does clip the striker a bit. Ranger opts to stay on his feet, with an open goal gaping, but he decides to check onto his best foot, and in doing so allows Koscielny to arrive from nowhere and brilliantly block. That really should have been the opening goal, but hats off to Ranger for not acting the goat and looking for the foul. 15 min: Smith, who hasn't scored since 1963, twangs a shot off the bar from 25 yards. A brilliant effort. As the ball sails out for a goal kick, the crossbar plays one of the stings from Seinfeld. 18 min: Gibbs has been replaced by Sagna. He's either picked up an injury, or it's time for his tea. "You're right," begins Richie McCauley, a textbook example of how to get your email published, "it was a non-appearance. Don't think I've ever seen us surrender so meekly. Strange to do that in a Cup final." Actually, I'd forgotten about 1974 against Liverpool as well. Newcastle have been making a bit of a habit of this. 20 min: It's been a really fine opening to this game. They've just been showing replays of the Smith shot. Szczesny tipped it onto the bar with the faintest of fingertips. A marvellous save. 23 min: A power run by Walcott down the right. He looks to feed Bendtner in the middle, the striker free in acres, but Perch sticks to him well and denies the chance of a cross. The resulting corner is hoofed witlessly out of play on the opposite side by Vela. 27 min: Arsenal are seeing a lot more of the ball. Bendtner keeps turning up in promising situations, only for the ball to be intercepted before it gets to him. Walcott in particular is frustrating him. It might not be long before they click, though. "Just saw a shot of Steve Bruce at the match," writes Dave Konopka. "I have to ask, why is he wasting his time? Did he really think that Newcastle would play their first-team just days before the derby? Was he simply bored on a Wednesday night?" You've got to be seen to be doing things, haven't you, even if you're achieving nothing of note whatsoever. It's the first and only rule of management. In all walks of life. 30 min: Newcastle are comfortable enough, though. Krul hasn't had a save to make since the opening couple of minutes. This is staunch stuff from the home side. 32 min: Eastmond and Perch challenge a 50-50 ball. The Arsenal man goes in with his studs showing a bit, and catches the Newcastle defender, who rolls around screaming. He's soon up and about, though. No card is shown. 35 min: Lovenkrands wheechs down the right and wins a corner off Eboue. From it, Arsenal break straight up field, Eboue winning a corner himself off Kadar. Nothing comes of it, but it's illustrative of a nice, flowing, end-to-end game. All we need now is some more hot goalmouth action. Goals, please! 37 min: Lovenkrands puts the ball into the bottom-left corner of the Arsenal net from ten yards, a cool finish. Unfortunately, he's at least five yards offside. 38 min: Bendtner twists and turns down the inside-left channel and eventually gets a shot away. It's straight at Krol again, though. Goals, please! 40 min: Initial brilliance from Eboue, who Garrinchas past Taylor down the left to break clear into the box. He's only got Krul to beat, coming in from a tight-ish angle, but can only horribly shank a dreadful effort into the side netting. That was miles off target, and totally incongruous with the liquid shimmy at the start of the move. 43 min: Arsenal are turning up the heat again. Bendtner dinks a one-two with Vela on the edge of the area and lashes a low shot at Krul, who's had so many balls smacked straight down his throat, he could be forgiven for thinking he's turned into one of those tubes golfers use to pick up their balls at practice. 45 min +2: OWN GOAL!!! BLEAK HUMOUR!!! Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal. Vela should get a shot away, breaking down the inside-left channel, but overruns the ball and has to settle for a corner. Poor stuff. No matter, though. From the set piece, Bendtner flicks the ball goalwards in a six-yard-box scramble. Taylor is on the line to deal with the effort, but his headed clearance hits Krul on the back of the head and bounces sadly into the net. HALF TIME: Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal. What a sickening blow for Newcastle, who had put in a decent shift during that first half. Still, Arsenal had enjoyed 60% of the play, and pinged many a shot at Krul, so you can hardly argue their lead is undeserved. And we're off again! Arsenal get things moving. Djourou gives the ball away within 20 seconds, and Vuckic is close to breaking through the Arsenal back line before being flagged offside. 47 min: Smith is booked for hacking down Walcott with the winger in full flight. 49 min: Ranger looks like breaking clear down the inside-left channel, but three red-and-white shirts converge on him. He loses possession, but battles well to win the ball back and force a corner. Perch meets the set piece with a powerful header from eight yards, but can't keep the ball down, the orb sailing off over the bar along with his hopes and dreams. 51 min: Arsenal are looking to get the ball out to Sagna on the right an awful lot. He keeps pinging crosses into the box, though direction doesn't appear to be an issue for him at the moment. 52 min: Walcott twists and turns down the right, but upon reaching the byline loses control, allowing Krul to come out and smother at his feet. "The Guardian has been good enough to publicise my Facebook campaign to ensure that Nobby Stiles' World Cup Winners Medal did not fall into private hands at auction today," writes Gary Naylor. "Via a shaky internet connection and at a few thousand miles distance, I understand that Manchester United has bought the medal with a view to displaying it to the public. This is a fine gesture from the club, which deserves great credit. Can I thank almost 400 people, many of whom are MBMers, for their support and wish Nobby and his family well." 53 min: GOAL!!! Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal. Tinged with Toon outrage, this. Walcott is sent clear in the Newcastle half. He heads for the box and clips a shot over the advancing Krul and into the net. Only thing is, an offside Bendtner, standing around before making to innocently get out of the chasing Williamson's way, cynically checks into the defender and takes him out of the game. I'm not sure Williamson would have been able to catch Walcott anyway, but it would have been at least close. Newcastle are livid, and no wonder. 57 min: A double change by Newcastle: Routledge and Lovenkrands are replaced by Gutierrez and Carroll. 59 min: St James Park is suddenly very quiet, that second goal having taken the wind out of the home support's sails. 62 min: Walcott takes a free kick from 30 yards. It whacks Smith upside the head. Corner. Arsenal instigate a scramble in the area. Newcastle can't clear. Arsenal pass it around a bit. 63 min: Arsenal are still passing it around, to a chorus of oles. 64 min: Arsenal eventually lose the ball. They are fantastic to watch when they're in this mood, second string or no. 66 min: Gutierrez romps down the left and cuts inside. His low cross is hacked out by Djourou for a corner. Newcastle can't do anything with it. 69 min: Taylor comes inside from the right and hits a hopeful left-footed shot towards the bottom-right corner from 25 yards. A decent enough effort with his weaker foot, but it was never troubling Szczesny, who claims with ease. "It's interesting to see Wenger fielding stronger teams in the League Cup," writes Michelle Peters-Jones. "Normally he always plays youngsters, names we would have just hear at the game and go 'who's that, then?'. However, no trophies for five seasons must be starting to sting. Not that I am complaining, I would take the League Cup after the drought we've had. We've also had that strange thing hanging around recently... I think its called 'a bit of luck'!" 71 min: Well that was timely from Michelle Peters-Jones: here comes Fabregas, replacing Vela. 72 min: Barton comes on for Smith, Chris Hughton's last throw of the dice. 74 min: Bendtner threads a pass straight down the middle in an attempt to release Walcott into the box. He nearly manages it, but Perch slides in at the very last to toe-poke the ball away from the attacker. Walcott goes down. Bendtner claims for a penalty, but come on. It's instructive that Walcott merely picks himself up, dusts himself down, and plays on. 76 min: Gutierrez steals the ball from Sagna and bowls down the left. Sagna chases back and upends him. Booking. The free kick, to the left of the area, is rolled back and into the centre for Barton, but not particularly cleverly, and the midfielder is unable to take a whack goalwards. 78 min: Guthrie attempts to free Carroll with a lovely raking pass hit with the outside of his boot. It nearly sets the striker clear on goal, but Djouorou sticks out a telescopic leg to hook the pass away from danger. Great play all round. 80 min: Carroll is causing all manner of problems for Arsenal with his powerful running and pressing. He wins the ball on the edge of the box and switches play out left with a clever first-time reverse pass, but with Newcastle players queuing up in the middle and Arsenal light at the back, Gutierrez's attempt at a cross is woeful. 82 min: From a corner on the left, there's a scramble in the Arsenal six-yard box. Carroll spins on a sixpence and clips a shot goalwards, but Szczesny smothers at his feet. What a save. 83 min: GOAL!!! Newcastle United 0-3 Arsenal. That's that, then. Guthrie gives the ball away in the middle. Fabregas picks up and slides a pass out left for Bendtner, who lashes an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner of the net. That's a wonderful finish. On the touchline, Chris Hughton is a pictorial definition of "reflective". 85 min: Emmanuel-Thomas replaces Bendtner. "I think Arsenal are playing a more experienced team this season not just because Wenger wants to win things," argues Andy Kocen. "It's also because our squad has more strength in depth. In previous years our second team was a bunch of 17 year olds. This year we have four decent centre-backs, a bunch of good midfielders and loads of guys to play up front. It's a sign of a growing and maturing squad as much as anyrhing else I think." 86 min: Taylor whips a delicious free kick towards the top-right corner of the Arsenal goal from 25 yards. Szczesny claws it out, and Djourou clears. No Newcastle player looked to follow that up, because if they did, they'd have had a tap-in into an empty net. 88 min: GOAL!!! Newcastle United 0-4 Arsenal. A ball rolled straight up the middle of the pitch releases Walcott into the Newcastle half. He advances towards the area and slips the ball under Krul and home. 90 min: There will be three added minutes of this. FULL TIME: Newcastle United 0-4 Arsenal. Nothing much happens in added time, save a booking for Barton after a late charge on Fabregas, and another save by Szczesny from Carroll. And that's that: Arsenal's second string romp into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup at the expense of Newcastle's second string. Newcastle's wait for another major trophy goes on...