Are Arsenal down and out in the League Cup already? | OneFootball

Arsenal enter their League Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle on the back foot, but do they have what it takes to overturn the deficit?

The Gunners were beaten 2-0 in the first leg at home by Eddie Howe’s Magpies, who left with a convincing victory.

Alexander Isak opened the scoring for the visitors in the 37th minute, capitalising from close range just before the halftime whistle, delivering an early blow to Arsenal that only deepened as the match progressed.

Six minutes into the second half, Anthony Gordon doubled Newcastle’s lead in the 51st minute, reacting quickly to Isak’s rebound at the far post.

Arsenal looked far from their best and were fortunate to scrape through to the semi-finals after a narrow 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals at home. A miraculous second-half hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus was the difference-maker that saw them advance.

Mikel Arteta admitted his side underperformed, despite holding the home advantage. Newcastle controlled the match and nullified Arsenal’s threats with ease.

The Gunners lacked sharpness in possession and failed to capitalise on their control of the ball. Despite their dominance on paper, they failed to dictate the flow of the game.

Arsenal face an uphill task heading into the second leg at St. James’ Park. They haven’t won at Newcastle for three seasons, a record that will weigh heavily on the minds of supporters.

To compound the concern, Arsenal have yet to score against Newcastle this season, having lost both league meetings (0-1 and 0-2) in addition to the first leg of the semi-final. After 180 minutes against Howe’s team across two competitions, Arsenal have been unable to break them down.

The challenge is daunting, and confidence among fans is low. However, football is unpredictable, and Arsenal will be hoping for a performance that can overturn the deficit and deliver a surprise result.

Liam Harding