Newcastle United’s dramatic FA Cup win over Bournemouth has come at a heavy price, with Eddie Howe’s already thin squad further stretched ahead of Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester
City at St James’ Park.
Newcastle needed 120 minutes and a penalty shoot-out to progress, eventually edging Bournemouth 7-6 on spot-kicks after a 3-3 draw. Aaron Ramsdale denied Evanilson, Alex Jimenez and Bafode Diakite from the spot, eliminating Ramsdale’s former club and sending Newcastle into the fourth round.
The tie had swung throughout normal and extra time. Anthony Gordon forced extra time with a 95th-minute penalty, then Marcus Tavernier made it 3-3 in the 122nd minute to ensure the match was settled from 12 yards, where Newcastle showed greater composure.
This victory means Newcastle have now reached at least the FA Cup fourth round in three straight seasons. The club last managed a longer such sequence in 2019-20, when Newcastle advanced to the fourth round or beyond in four consecutive campaigns.
Attention now turns to the EFL Cup, a competition Newcastle currently hold. Howe’s side face Manchester City at home on Tuesday in the semi-final first leg, with the return fixture at the Etihad Stadium scheduled for 4 February, leaving little recovery time.
Extra time created new problems for Howe. Key full-back Tino Livramento limped off with a suspected hamstring injury, adding to an existing list that already included Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Anthony Elanga, and leaving Newcastle short of options before facing City.
Howe admitted the cost of the effort after the match, saying: "The players have worked far harder than we wanted them to with extra-time, especially with Tuesday in mind," Howe said after Saturday's game. "But the priority was to try to get through and to stay in the competition, and we’ve managed that, so we’re very pleased. Now we’ve got to count the cost of it, really, and try to regroup and try to get the players fresh for Tuesday. "
Bournemouth arrived at St James’ Park shortly after the reported 65m sale of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City. The Ghanaian forward scored on debut for City in a 10-1 win over Exeter City in the FA Cup, adding another talking point around Bournemouth’s exit.
Head coach Andoni Iraola reflected on the contest, saying: "It's difficult to find a more FA Cup game than this one. I think, very difficult. I'm proud of being part of this game, but you want to go to the next round, and this is what matters in the cup, and we are unfortunately out of the competition. "
The match leaves Newcastle balancing progress in both domestic cups with a growing injury list and fatigue concerns, while Bournemouth exit the FA Cup after a high-scoring tie and a major transfer, with Manchester City now influencing both clubs’ immediate cup stories.
