Newcastle coach Eddie Howe played down his Carabao Cup ambitions after his side reached the quarter-finals, insisting: “We just need to concentrate on football.”
Newcastle, runners-up in the competition in 2023, secured their semi-final place with a 3-1 win over Brentford at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening thanks to a brace from Sandro Tonali and a goal from Fabian Schar.
Yoane Wissa scored a goal for the visitors in second-half injury time, but it was little more than a consolation as the strong Newcastle team progressed.
Winger Anthony Gordon had previously said he believed the Magpies could win the cup and end a 70-year domestic trophy drought.
Newcastle reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VSCKsKWn64
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 18, 2024
And that sentiment was echoed by Brentford manager Thomas Frank, who graciously said he hoped Newcastle would lift the trophy after the game.
“I think they can win it. We have Liverpool, Arsenal (in the semi-finals) – we need a change. It would also mean more to Newcastle fans,” said Frank.
Howe largely backed away from Frank’s praise and instead focused on the next few games.
“That’s nice of Thomas, but we just need to focus on football,” Howe said.
“We have some big Premier League games in between so we have to concentrate on them. We’ll be at Portman Road (against Ipswich on Saturday) in no time and we need to be ready for this game now.”
However, the Newcastle boss had some kind words of his own for Tonali, whose two first-half goals put Howe’s side on course for victory.
This technique. 😮💨🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/eZUrjxIKF6
– Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 18, 2024
“It was great to see Sandro score the two goals,” Howe added.
“We’re starting to see the best of him. The position change has definitely helped him, he feels much more comfortable being lower on the pitch.
“He shows all the qualities we knew we had when we signed him. It’s just about finding the right balance for him and the team.”
