Alexander Isak’s ruthless nature punishes Arsenal and reveals where Mikel Arteta’s side must improve | OneFootball

A night that was about whether you could take your chances; for goals, and maybe for finals. The overly cynical might even say it was for showing what you can really do in front of a certain audience, especially in regards to Alexander Isak. Arsenal’s widely reported interest in the Swede added another strand to a narrative-rich Carabao Cup semi-final, and his presence ended up deciding how this 2-0 win went.

Newcastle United would rightly bristle at that being the focus of a match that might end up sending them to Wembley for the second time in three years. Arsenal do still have a second leg in a month to overturn this, but that will be at an intimidating St James Park, where the crowd will see this trophy as being about so much more than this trophy. The Saudi Arabian project has felt like it has needed a lift after a long lull, and this might be it. For all that recent issues had fed a debate over whether the controversial ownership are overseeing the club in the fulsome manner they have other projects, their willingness to spend what they can has given Newcastle one of the finest players in world football right now.

There are few that can match Isak’s form. He is sensational, as effective as he is joyously effervescent. There is a real spark to his play.

His impact here, scoring one goal and setting up the other, was all the more pronounced given the obvious context. Arsenal are looking for another forward and badly need one, with that so clearly displayed in the number of chances they missed.

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Alexander Isak opens the scoring for Newcastle with a fine finish past David Raya (Getty Images)

There was even a direct contrast offered in one specific area of the pitch. On 38 minutes, just in front of David Raya’s penalty spot, Isak displayed supreme opportunism to latch onto Jacob Murphy’s touch and make it 1-0. It was brilliant forward play. In the same area, half an hour later, Kai Havertz was presented with the sort of cross any number-nine would dream of. The ball instead hit his shoulder and bobbled wide. There is an obvious quip to be made here about false nines. Havertz remains a fine player for Arsenal, but it has long been obvious that they could do with another option there.

In between those two moments, to make it worse for Mikel Arteta, Arsenal missed even more chances while Anthony Gordon took one for Newcastle. That was another goal largely against the run of play, and another where Isak’s ability to take the ball and move with it while evading challenges with pure smoothness was so glorious.

That almost casual ability to do damage especially stood out against the increasing angst Arsenal were enduring in their own attacks. Their productivity from set-pieces deserted them, as both Jurrien Timber and William Saliba headed over from close-range, with the centre-half also bringing a point-blank save from Martin Dubravka. Gabriel Martinelli also hit the post when the goal was at his mercy.

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Gabriel Martinelli struck the post in a brilliant first half chance (Action Images via Reuters)

This is where the tie is all the more relevant to wider themes of the campaign. The Carabao Cup quickly becomes dismissible for clubs as soon as they go out of it, but Arsenal are still in it, and this is looking like an opportunity that is passing. Although they have far bigger concerns, it is the chance to win a trophy just when talk rises about this team needing to show they can get over the line. Arteta of course won the FA Cup in his very first season, but that was with a largely different group.

This group meanwhile suffered the same issues that have afflicted their title challenge. They got agitated in front of goal, as if allowing the increasing number of misses to affect composure. Towards the end, in front of a massed Newcastle defence, they were driving speculative long shots at goal.

Absences of course didn’t help, in what has become another theme of the campaign. Against that, though, Arteta did play a strong team that should still have enough to beat a side below them in the table.

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Anthony Gordon was in the right place to turn in a second goal for Newcastle (Action Images via Reuters)

It is admittedly a side rising with some speed, though. This is why there was of course greater value for Newcastle than just the chance to finally win a trophy again. This victory will have only propelled recent momentum: an seventh win in a row, a 10th goal in nine for Isak.

Given that Isak also scored the headed winner in an October meeting of these two sides, it only fosters the sense that he and Newcastle do look like they have Arsenal’s number. The London side might well point to the number of chances they missed but that is often part of such dynamics. It was a trend that started between these two teams back in 2022, and Newcastle do have that feel again. They look as feisty and intense as they did in that period, albeit with one major difference. Isak has gone to another level. Newcastle look like they are going to another Carabao Cup final.

Arsenal could do with some of Isak’s quality, or just a bit more up front, to prevent that. He was the difference, on a night that threatened to become the same sort of story for Arteta.