They would be even stronger position if Arsenal had not turned their form around since their defeats in both domestic cups last month, beginning in the first leg of this EFL Cup semifinal before they were then knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties by Manchester United.

Newcastle comfortably downed Arsenal to reach the EFL Cup final thanks to a sensational performance from Eddie Howe's side. 2-0 up heading into the evening, the tie was almost over inside four minutes when Alexander Isak rifled the ball past David Raya, only for VAR to hand Arsenal a massive let-off by adjudging the Swede fractionally offside.

The Gunners were beaten 4-0 on aggregate by the inspired Magpies, who won 2-0 on Wednesday and progressed to their second final of this competition in three seasons.