HOW IT PANNED OUT CRUISE TO CUP VICTORY Newcastle Utd Man Utd 0-2

Ezzie Brass

After much anticipation, the final was upon us; it was game day. All the pre-match talk had revolved around Loris Karius, who filled in for the suspended Nick Pope. The magpies needed no reminding of the notorious cup final performance the German displayed a few years earlier, and with Martin Dúbravka also unable to play in the fixture, they hoped he would emerge a new and reinvigorated shot-stopper. With the Geordies singing in full voice prior to kick off, the stage was set for a magnificent encounter. Both sides fielded a fair contingent of Brazilian players, as the midfield pairs of Fred and Casemiro, and Guimarães and Joelinton respectively, looked to dictate the play for their side.

Newcastle started brightly and positively, but it was the other United that drew first blood on 33 minutes, as Casemiro guided Shaw’s free kick into the far corner past Karius, who was rooted to the spot. The delivery was right on the money, as the veteran was able to channel it deftly past the keeper. Newcastle probed for the equaliser, having arguably been the better side thus far, but they were shocked just five minutes later.

Before they had a real chance to respond, the lead was doubled by the talisman. The ball broke to Wout Weghorst, who fed Rashford one on one with Sven Botman. Taking the Dutch centre-back on and surprising Karius with the early shot, it agonisingly bobbled over the despairing keeper into the net, as a groan resounded within Wembley. Drowned out shortly by the fans on the opposite side however, who relished the fact their team had taken cruise control of the tie. With the scoreline slightly flattering to Ten Hag’s side, Eddie Howe wore a deflated expression as he knew the fast start had been wasted.

The Toons looked to claw one back before half time, whilst ensuring the game wouldn’t drift out of sight. Dan Burn’s headed effort drifted just wide on the stroke of the whistle. As Alan Shearer watched on from the crowd, depleted, it looked like it would be a tale of ‘same old’ from the team with such a barren collection of recent silverware.

Howe’s more direct approach to the second half was prevalent from the first whistle. With both teams having decent chances, it became a classic end-to-end encounter. The introduction of the Swede Alexander Isak sparked new life into the attack, but to no material avail. With a red overload in midfield, Casemiro was free to roam and slot in front of the back for to provide extra security. On a number of occasions, he was able to expertly shepherd the ball out of play.

Saint-Maximim tested Aaron Wan-Bissaka on a number of occasions but failed to provide any end product after impressive runs. The right back, who came on for the carded and struggling Dalot, must be credited for effectively dealing with the threat, and Ten Hag the mastermind behind the clever change. As the brief nerve-racking period started to subside, Howe threw his last role of the dice by bringing on Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy.

All the positive endeavour was thwarted by a combination of tenacity from Lisandro Martínez and Raphaël Varane, and defensive know-how to limit any site of goal. As each second ticked by, the attempts on goal became progressively rash. Murphy’s blistering effort looked to have beaten David de Gea but swerved tantalisingly wide.

Despite knowing it was all but over, the Toons’ support never once faded, instead remained resolute and strong, as their team put in an admirable shift, but were made to regret the earlier lapse in concentration. At Full Time, Howe disappointed, Ten Hag elated, the sky is the limit for the side he has transformed. Amidst his emotional post-match interview with Sky Sports, Bruno Fernandes assured fans that business is far from finished this campaign.