Cups Take Center Stage

The Premier League is on pause as domestic cups take center stage in England. The finalists are set for the Carabao Cup championship match March 16th at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal will not be one of those clubs competing for the silverware. The Gunners, already eliminated from the FA Cup, were knocked out in the Carabao Cup semifinals by Newcastle on Wednesday with the Magpies prevailing by the same 2-0 margin as their first leg conquest of the Gunners. Arsenal’s challenges in finding the net once again raise concern that they will not take that next step forward without the addition of another attacking player. Ironically, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak has been rumored to be that final piece in the Arsenal puzzle. Isak, who has 17 Premier League goals, did not find the net on Wednesday though it was his shot which deflected off the post and was quickly put back for the opening goal by Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy. Anthony Gordon would provide a second half insurance goal for the Magpies to ensure safe passage to the Wembley final. Arsenal, meanwhile, was again a model of futility, failing again to find the net and only putting 6 of 33 shots on target over the two-leg semifinal, none of those attempts finding their way past Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

The Magpies, meanwhile, are headed to their first domestic cup final in 55 years. Isak and Aaron Gordon spearhead an opportunistic attack that capitalizes on key moments without dominating possession. Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe lined his club up with five men at the back on Wednesday, a tweak which seemed to surprise Arsenal and drew plaudits for the English manager, an often-underrated tactician who got the better of counterpart Mikel Arteta in this semifinal matchup. The Magpies now move on to face Liverpool in the final at Wembley.

THIS TEAM ✊ pic.twitter.com/jKO0Qoq4EC

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) February 6, 2025

The Reds steamrolled Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on Thursday to erase a one goal deficit carrying over from the first leg of the clubs’ semifinal tie. The outcome at Anfield was not surprising, Spurs defense being always capable of delivering embarrassment. The fact that Spurs could not land a single shot on target, however, added to the infamy. Tottenham Hotspur’s defense is terrible, its attack inconsistent, and its results this season usually poor. The first leg victory over Liverpool thus always seemed to have been an anomaly. Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, saw four different players find the net as the Reds knotted the tie on Cody Gakpo’s first half strike before a second half trifecta of goals buried their opponent. A Mohamed Salah penalty kick in the 51st  minute would be all that was needed to punch the ticket to Wembley. Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk would then lend heft to the final score with their late match goals. The pressure on Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou increases enormously with his club’s poor effort at Anfield. The league season is lost, casting greater importance on cup success only to have Postecoglou’s players shockingly fail to show up for the critical second leg of the semifinal.

Attention now turns to the FA Cup this weekend where Tottenham Hotspur will face another difficult challenge against fellow Premier League side Aston Villa. Liverpool, meanwhile, will continue its quest for multiple trophies this season with an appointment at Plymouth Argyle, a club currently at the bottom of the English second tier table.

Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, two clubs in the current top six of the Premier League table, will face third-tier sides Birmingham and Exeter City, respectively. An all Premier League showcase will feature Chelsea visiting Brighton in perhaps the best match of the weekend. Two other Premier League sides will compete for the chance to salve the wounds of egregious league seasons with a decent cup run. Relegation bound Leicester plays Manchester United at Old Trafford, a venue that has provided little in the way of home pitch advantage for the Red Devils this season. Manchester United somewhat shockingly knocked Arsenal out of the FA cup, winning on penalties at the Emirates while the Foxes thrashed second tier QPR in the last round.