Newcastle United reached the Carabao Cup semifinals with a cardiac 2-1 win over Fulham at St. James’ Park, thanks to a stoppage-time header from homeboy teenager Lewis Miley.
The victory was very needed and definitely was a morale boost after last weekend horrid derby defeat to Sunderland, as Eddie Howe’s side kept their Carabao Cups defense alive.
The match began with Yoane Wissa starting and scoring his first Newcastle
goal, finishing from close range after Benjamin Lecomte could only parry Jacob Murphy’s cross, just 10 minutos into the affair.
Fulham, determined to ruin the party, equalised six minutes later as Sasa Lukic headed an Antonee Robinson delivery unmarked.
Newcastle, with Miley playing makeshift right-back due to injuries, struggled to break down a well-organiszed Fulham defense for much of the match.l, if not just the entire thing altogether.
The Magpies enjoyed long spells of possession and pressed for a winner, but lacked the final touch for most of the contest.
Murphy saw a shot blocked and Harvey Barnes forced a shaky save from Lecomte, and VAR ruled out a Newcastle goal for offside before the break.
With penalties surely looming on the horizon as the final whistle approached, Miley’s persistence paid off. Already in added time, he saw one shot saved, then rose to meet Sandro Tonali’s corner, glancing a header into the net for the winner.
The 19-year-old academy product, playing out of position, sent the home crowd into a frenzy and secured Newcastle’s ninth consecutive Carabao Cup win in regulation time.
Manager Eddie Howe praised Miley’s “outstanding” display and the team’s resilience, noting that returning to the semi-finals for a third time in four years was a significant achievement.
Howe, however, also made sure to acknowledge the challenge ahead with Manchester City in the two-legged semi-final next month.
The squad now faces a demanding January schedule with nine fixtures across all competitions, with their next matchup coming this weekend in a Premier League clash against Chelsea.
