Isak strikes again as Newcastle beats Arsenal 2-0 in League Cup semifinal 1st leg

Newcastle moved a step closer to a first major domestic trophy since 1955 with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals Tuesday.

Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at the Emirates Stadium put Newcastle within reach of the final at Wembley Stadium in March. The second leg is at St James’ Park on Feb. 5.

“It’s a great result. It’s only the first half. If we don’t go through then this has no meaning, but we can’t hide from the fact that this is a massive win,” Isak said.

It was Newcastle’s first win at the Emirates since 2010 and Arsenal’s first home defeat since April.

Isak struck in the 37th minute to continue his outstanding scoring run with his 14th goal in 15 games. The Sweden international was involved in Newcastle’s second in the 51st, when his shot was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and the rebound was converted by Gordon.

Despite being bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2021, Newcastle hasn’t won a major domestic trophy since lifting the FA Cup almost 70 years ago. But it is close to second League Cup final in three years after losing to Manchester United in 2023.

Newcastle is also pushing for a return to the Champions League after missing out last season — sitting fifth in the Premier League standings and one point outside of the qualifying places for European club soccer’s elite tournament.

Victory against Arsenal was a seventh straight win in all competitions for Eddie Howe’s team, which has been inspired by Isak’s brilliant goal-scoring form.

He fired in off the underside of the crossbar from close range after a long free kick was played into his path by Jacob Murphy.

It was Isak’s seventh goal in his last five games.

Despite in-stadium referee announcements being trialed for the match, an apparent push in the buildup to his goal did not result in referee Craig Pawson reviewing the sideline monitor.

It was Isak’s sharpness that led to Newcastle’s second. His effort from inside the box six minutes into the second half was parried by Raya, but Gordon was the quickest to react at the far post to fire home.

Arsenal was unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions and is second in the Premier League standings.

It had the chance to take the lead when Gabriel Martinelli burst through in the 29th and fired against the post.

Kai Havertz wasted a golden opportunity to pull a goal back when his attempted header from directly in front of goal came off his shoulder and went wide.

“We rode our luck a little bit at times, but (I’m) really pleased with the result,” Howe said.

Tottenham plays Liverpool in the other semifinal, with the first leg being staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer