Eddie Howe promised to completely change Newcastle United’s strategy for the cup competitions when he was hired as manager. The days of “not prioritizing” knockout football are over. No more dismissing a cup run in favor of concentrating on placing in the middle of the Premier League standings. The small-club defeatism that defined the Mike Ashley era is over.
After three and a half years, Howe has lived up to his promise. The Magpies head coach has overseen 23 domestic cup competition games since losing his opening match against Cambridge United. Newcastle has won 19 of them, and their only loss was to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. They also lost to Chelsea in a penalty shootout.
By comparison, Howe’s predecessor, Steve Bruce, won just five of his 13 cup matches, with three of those wins coming against Rochdale, Morecambe and Oxford United. Rafael Benitez, in his three full seasons in charge, won six out of 14 cup games.
Indeed, there hasn’t been a domestic trophy since 1955. However, a team that used to be synonymous with shameful poor performance in cup games has now turned into a knockout specialist.
With their victory over Birmingham City on Saturday, Newcastle is now only two victories away from another trip to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals, and they will make their second appearance in the Carabao Cup final in as many years in March.
Howe stated, “The priority was always to try to get through.” His decision to make nine changes for Saturday’s fourth-round match was more a reflection of Newcastle’s busy schedule over the past few months than it was a declaration of the FA Cup’s place on the priority list. “We really didn’t want to play extra time, but if it was necessary to advance, we would have done so.
“We needed to maintain the momentum in order to finish it. We had to maintain the positive vibes around us. After Wednesday’s high, the players responded admirably, as we really had everything to lose on the night.
Howe’s decision to make drastic changes gave some of Newcastle’s underperforming players a chance to establish themselves. The big winner was Joe Willock, who enjoyed a more advanced attacking role down the left-hand side and scored two important goals.
The first was controversial because referee Matthew Donohue and his assistant Nigel Lugg decided the ball had crossed the line after goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell parried it, and the second was decisive because Willock drove home after Sean Longstaff’s cross was blocked.
Callum Wilson, who was making just his third start of any kind since the beginning of 2024, also had a significant night. Remarkably, halfway through the first half, the 32-year-old hooked home from close range to score only his second-ever cup goal for Newcastle. Having recovered from his most recent injury setback, he provided a timely reminder of his enduring attacking abilities.
If he stays healthy, Alexander Isak will undoubtedly be the starting player for the rest of the season, but Howe has at last a good substitute for the Swede in Wilson.
The Magpies manager declared, “Callum is a really valuable player for us.” The skill of scoring goals with strikers appears to be eroding. There aren’t many strikers in the world of football who can perform as well as Callum.
“Can we keep him healthy and on the field?” is our main concern. But his ability is undeniable.
At the center of midfield, Lewis Miley also attracted attention. He got better as the evening went on and helped Newcastle score in the closing minutes, but the visitors did not have a perfect night against fierce League One opponents who had an 18-game winning streak before kickoff.
The Magpies had several shaky defensive moments, giving up a goal in the first minute when an unmarked Keshi Anderson set up Ethan Laird for a volley that bounced off Wilson, and losing again at the end of the first half when Tomoki Iwata scored an incredible long-range goal.
Emil Krafth looked rusty as he returned at centre-half, while Sean Longstaff had a difficult night in central midfield, giving the ball away with alarming regularity, particularly in the first half.
It was concerning to see Dan Burn hobbling off with a groin injury soon after halftime, particularly since Sven Botman was ruled out due to a personal knee injury, and Newcastle was exposed to a string of absences due to their inability to make any acquisitions during the January transfer window.
The single most important factor affecting how things unfold from now until the end of the season is probably keeping key players healthy.
Howe acknowledged, “I think that’s probably going to be the key thing for us.” His team will find out who their opponents are in the fifth round when the draw is held tomorrow. Although we are aware of it and you are free to discuss it, you are not always in control of it.
“We’ll make every effort to maintain everyone’s fitness, including limiting training and match minutes. Behind the scenes, we’ll follow all the proper procedures. We simply don’t want to revert to our previous state, in which we were unable to effectively manage our strength. We were struck multiple times, which clearly made us much weaker last year. I hope that won’t happen again.