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By HARRY BAMFORTH and SAMI MOKBEL AT THE EMIRATES and CRAIG HOPE AT THE EMIRATES and ISAAN KHAN AT THE EMIRATES Published: 05: 00 AEDT, 8 January 2025 | Updated: 08: 58 AEDT, 8 January 2025 243 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Arsenal host Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.   By Harry Bamforth Newcastle hold on! By Harry Bamforth David Raya has just chested the ball down inside the Newcastle half. .. Yep, that's how deep the visitors are - even the goalkeeper can get time on the ball. I mean, you can't have a go at them, it's working. By Craig Hope At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth There is a roar from those who are left inside the Emirates as the board goes up to signify there will be five minutes of stoppage time. Can Arsenal find a goal from somewhere? ? By Harry Bamforth This Newcastle defence looks knackered, they have put in one hell of a shift. Martin Dubravka collects a cross and goes to the ground which gives the chance for those in front of him to rest. Tino Libvramento puts his hands on his knees and lets out a huge sigh. By Harry Bamforth Oh, Jorginho. .. The midfielder's eyes light up as the ball bounces his way and he of course decides to welly it. Jorginho connects sweetly but he is leaning back and the ball flies over the bar. The Italian lets out a scream in frustration - one of those nights. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal really don't look like scoring. The 10-minute spell where they knocked at the door feels like ages ago now. All their creativity has been sapped out of them by its brilliant Newcastle defence. It's been a terrible night for Mikel Arteta and his side. By Harry Bamforth This crowd has gone completely flat. .. Even when Arsenal win a corner the fans aren't even cheering anymore. That says everything. All the noises from the stands are now negative. They have just done one mighty groan in unison as a shot is sent high and wide. And now the home fans have seen enough, many are leaving. By Harry Bamforth What a way to introduce yourself to the match. Oleksandr Zinchenko's first contribution to this match is to absolutely wipe out Joelinton. He slides in so late on the Brazilian and ends up getting a yellow card. Not the impact he would have envisaged. .. By Harry Bamforth This is that period of the night where all I seem to post about are substitutions that are being made. I mean, there have been no chances for a while. Oleksandr Zinchenko is now on to try and get Arsenal going with Myles Lewis-Skelly making way. By Harry Bamforth Anthony Gordon's work is done for the night. Newcastle's second-half hero is serenaded by his fans as he strolls to the touchline to be replaced by Miguel Almiron. How big will Gordon's goal turn out to be? By Harry Bamforth We have had 75 minutes of this match and we have not even been able to see the new VAR feature. I am not normally one to want VAR to get involved, but I am interested in seeing what it's like. Someone handle the ball in the box or something, just so we can see it. By Harry Bamforth It's all Arsenal now, it really is. Newcastle have gone ultra defensive like on the video game FIFA and are just clinging on. The visitors can barely get out of their own box, let alone their half. By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Declan Rice, is that really you? The midfielder has just sent a corner straight into the side-netting at the near post. Rice is usually so reliable in delivering lovely crosses into the box, but not today. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal could go another 70 minutes without scoring at this rate. Newcastle are defending so well and are now starting to throw bodies on the line. They yet again block a couple of Arsenal efforts before Gabriel Martinelli fires over. It just isn't Arsenal's day. .. By Harry Bamforth It seems Eddie Howe has flicked on defensive mode. .. The Newcastle manager somewhat surprisingly takes off their star man Alexander Isak. He is replaced by Harvey Barnes while Sean Longstaff and Lloyd Kely are on for Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock. Howe just wants to secure this win. By Harry Bamforth Is the ball ever going to go in for Arsenal? Another opportunity comes and goes for the Gunners and this time it's Gabriel Jesus with a massive miss. He meets a corner at the back post but somehow guides the ball over the bar. Jesus really should score. .. By Harry Bamforth With that miss, Mikel Arteta decides to make some changes. In-form Gabriel Jesus enters the fray for Leandro Trossard while Jorginho is on for Thomas Partey. Can they drag Arsenal back into this? By Harry Bamforth What a chance for Kai Havertz! The German simply has to score, but somehow he misses a gilt-edged chance from six yards out. Havertz is in acres of space when the ball falls out of the air to him and he just looks set to head home. However, the ball comes off his shoulder and goes comfortably wide. I can't believe he has missed that. That's a monster miss. By Harry Bamforth My word, Newcastle come so close to a third. Arsenal just can't deal with the visitors and Sandro Tonali arrows a brilliant low cross into the box. It looks an easy one for David Raya to collect but he nearly palms it into the path of Anthony Gordon to score. Luckily for him, Gordon ran just too far in front of the ball. By Harry Bamforth Anthony Gordon is involved in everything at the moment. This time not in a positive sense though as he hauls down Kai Havertz down the Arsenal right. Gordon is handed a yellow card and he can have no complaints about that. By Harry Bamforth That goal just summed up this game. Arsenal have all the ball but can't create a chance while Newcastle are clinical when they get one. The visitors are just so brilliant on the counter that Arsenal need to be careful this tie doesn't get away from them here. The Gerodies are in dreamland. By Harry Bamforth Anthony Gordon doubles Newcastle's lead! It's been all Arsenal at the start of this second half but the visitors score again with their first attack after the break. Alexander Isak is pivotal again as he turns on a Jacob Murphy pass well in the box before digging out a shot. His effort is saved by David Raya but the ball goes straight into the path of Gordon to tap into an empty net. That is a mammoth goal in this tie! By Harry Bamforth What is that, Martin Dubravka? The Newcastle goalkeeper can't deal with being closed down and ends up booting the ball out of play. Very bizarre, I have to say. It gives the Arsenal fans the lift that they need. The stadium has been fairly flat tonight, but if it gets going this tie can change very quickly. By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth That break went quickly, jeez. The two teams are already back out on the pitch while most fans are still having their pints and pies. The Emirates is pretty empty right now. Oh well, those fans will miss the start of this second half as the game is back underway. By Harry Bamforth Jamie Redknapp, former Liverpool midfielder, on Sky Sports: By Craig Hope At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Alexander Isak is quickly becoming a Newcastle great, don't you think? The Swede is one of the Magpies' best players in the Premier League era, he has been exceptional for them. Isak's goal in that first half was his 50th strike for Newcastle in all competitions. Since his debut in August 2022, only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have scored more goals in all competitions among Premier League players. Isak is one hell of a player, his price goes up with every passing week. By Harry Bamforth Alexander Isak is inevitable, isn't he? There is a reason Arsenal supposedly want to bring him to the Emirates and he has just shown it. As soon as the ball rolled into his path, you just knew it was going to hit the back fo the net. Watch and enjoy, Geordies! By Harry Bamforth There goes the whistle. .. It's Newcastle who lead after 45 minutes of this two-legged tie thanks to none other than Alexander Isak. The Swede punished Arsenal for all of their missed chances to put the visitors in control. Eddie Howe's side has not come here to mess about, they have tried to go toe-to-toe with the Gunners. It's working so far. By Harry Bamforth There will be two minutes of stoppage time in this one. I suspect that is not enough time for another goal, but you just never know. By Harry Bamforth It is Martin Odegaard. .. and it's pants. The Arsenal skipper whips the free-kick straight into the wall and the Newcastle fans cheers in the corner. The ball is then recycled and Gabriel fires the ball toward goal from close range, but Martin Dubravka makes the save. How important will that save be? By Harry Bamforth Joelinton gets his customary yellow card - no surprises there. It's a bit of a harsh one though as Thomas Partey falls to the ground like he has been sniped out of the sky. The free-kick is in a very threatening position just outside the box and Martin Odegaard is getting ready. We have seen him bang them in before. .. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal will be kicking themselves. They had grown into the game and were well on top, but they just weren't clinical. A player who was clinical was Alexander Isak. As soon as the ball went his way I knew where it was ending up. He is one hell fo a player. By Harry Bamforth IT JUST HAD TO BE HIM! Alexander Isak just can't stop scoring and he silences the Emirates with a lovely finish. It's route one from Newcastle as Martin Dubravka lumps a free-kick into the box and it finds Jacob Murphy. Murphy slides the ball across to Isak who smashes the ball into the back of the net off the bar. Advantage Newcastle in this semi-final! By Harry Bamforth Newcastle look to have ridden out that spell of Arsenal pressure. The crowd has quietened down and the visitors are starting o get control of the ball again. How much will Arsenal rue their missed chances? By Harry Bamforth What is going on? I know I should be the one telling you what is happening, but it's utter chaos in the Newcastle box, . Arsenal cause carnage from a corner and Martin Dubravka can't get the ball. There is a huge maul in the area and it's like watching Under 9s, you can't see anything. Eventually, the visitors clear their lines. By Harry Bamforth The Gunners have well and truly woken up now. They are starting to pin Newcastle back and now it's Martin Odegaard who has a pop. His effort is deflected over the bar and then there is a huge roar from the home crowd. This tie is alive! By Harry Bamforth Ohhhh. .. Arsenal should be in front! Out of nowhere, the Gunners get in behind the Newcastle backline and Gabriel Martinelli is away. The Brazilian just has Martin Dubravka to beat and you just expect him to score. But no, he smashes the ball against the post. He simply has to score. By Harry Bamforth Gabriel shows why he is a centre-back. .. The Brazilian decides to have a crack from 30 yards out for some reason and of course, it flies wide. Stick to headers from corners, mate. By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Alexander Isak is not a happy bunny, and it's easy to see why. .. Jacob Murphy breaks down the right and Isak is booking it to try and join him in the box. But just as he approaches it to give Murphy an option, he is hauled down by Leandro Trossard. The referee lets play go on and Newcastle win a corner, but Isak is straight over to protest. I think he has a point. By Harry Bamforth Oh, Myles Lewis-Skelly, that is lovely. Well, the first bit is. .. The full-back sends a couple Newcastle midfielders to the cleaners as he dances through a pack of them. He then tries to slide through Jurrien Timber down the right but overhits his pass. He did the hard but and then messed up the easy bit. By Harry Bamforth Oh no. .. Gabriel Martinelli is down holding his knee and looks in some pain here. It comes after Tino Livramento made a brilliant challenge on the Brazilian, but caught him with the follow through. But wait, just as I type this Martinelli gets up and looks absolutely fine. Footballers, eh? By Craig Hope At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Alexander Isak has just absolutely rinsed William Saliba. Isak is slid in behind again but has Saliba to beat down the right, and my word, he does it elegantly. The Swede slows right down before putting on the afterburners to drift around the outside of the French defender. He then pulls the ball back invitingly for Anthony Gordon, but the winger can't reach it. Eventually, Sandro Tonali blasts miles over the bar. By Harry Bamforth How has Jurrien Timber not scored? I am sat here in disbelief as the Dutchman misses a sitter from six yards out. Once again, he gets on the end of a corner and simply has to nod it in from close range. Somehow he misses the target. I can't believe it, he had to score. By Craig Hope At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth There are bodies flying all over the place! Arsenal get another set-piece and this time Newcastle can only clear it as far as Gabriel Martinelli. The winger sees his shot blocked before William Saliba's eyes then light up. But Dan Burn throws his body in the way of the Frenchman's strike before Martin Dubravka smothers Kai Havertz's effort. It's all happening! By Harry Bamforth Newcastle survive Arsenal's first corner of the evening. It's actually a lovely ball in by Declan Rice but Jurrien Timber heads well wide from close range. There are ironic cheers from the away end after the effort but I bet they were bricking it before the ball went into the box. By Harry Bamforth Newcastle have started really well here. Alexander Isak is already getting some joy as he is clipped through over the top. he races onto the ball in the box before pulling it back for Joelinton who then tries to blast it toward the moon. That's one of the worst efforts I have seen in some time, jeez. By Harry Bamforth Oh, this is interesting. .. Leandro Trossard is the player who is starting down the right, not Gabriel Martinelli. Going by the teamsheet it looked like it was going to be the Brazilian, but apparently not. Can Trossard shine in an unfamiliar role? By Harry Bamforth It's blooming freezing at the Emirates. You can see Alexander Isak's breath as he walks up to the centre spot to get this game going. Just as he doesn't, 'North London Forever' is belted out of the speakers and by the fans. Bit late, surely? It continues as the game gets underway. By Harry Bamforth My word, this is one hell of a pre-match show. There is currently a montage playing on the screens inside the Emirates while flames keep bursting into the air. There is plenty of music being played too to pump up these fans and they are responding. They chant their extremely creative 'Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal' chant as the two teams come out of the tunnel. I'm not sure how they thought of that one. .. Meanwhile, the Newcastle fans are waving their scarves above their head in unison as techno music blasts out of the speakers. The atmosphere is booming here. By Harry Bamforth Jamie Redknapp, former Liverpool midfielder, on Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta, Arsenal boss, speaking on Sky Sports: On Kai Havertz's return: By Harry Bamforth Look who it is! Some lucky fans have already had their day made as Arsenal legend Ian Wright has stopped to take some photos. Wrighty looks in a great mood, doesn't he? The Arsenal fans also seem in fine spirits and you can feel the buzz starting to grow in the Emirates. It's going to be rocking very soon. .. By Harry Bamforth Are we all starting to get excited? I certainly am. I am just itching for this game to get going. These are the days I wish we had a remote control for life and I could press fast forward. We are nearly there anyway, to be honest. The teams are just finishing off their warm-ups as I type this. Just 15 minutes to go! By Harry Bamforth Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, speaking to Sky Sports about Joe Willock starting: On Sven Botman starting: By Harry Bamforth Shay Given, former Newcastle goalkeeper, on Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth Joelinton, Newcastle midfielder, speaking to Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth Newcastle fans really do follow their team in numbers, over land and sea. Tonight there will be over 6, 000 Magpies supporters at the Emirates in what is a larger-than-usual away allocation. They aren't exactly a quiet bunch either, they are going to be extremely loud all night. It's going to be a belting atmosphere, I can feel it. By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Yep, VAR has had an upgrade. .. Tonight, referees will announce the outcome of any VAR decisions that are made during the match. It's part of a trial that is aiming to give fans inside the ground more clarity on why decisions have been made. It's going to feel like the NFL. Referees stateside always announce their decisions over a speaker. It's really dramatic. Do you think this will go down well in English football? By Harry Bamforth I have a feeling Arsenal will be fairly confident coming into tonight. On the face of it, Newcastle are a side that will cause them heaps of problems. We all know how much quality Eddie Howe's side possess. However, the Magpies hate playing at the Emirates. Why do I say that? Well, Newcastle have lost 12 of their last 13 visits to Arsenal in all competitions, drawing the other. That's a terrible record, it really is. It really shocked me during my research for this game. I knew that Newcastle didn't have a good record at the Emirates, but it's much worse than I imagined. Runs have to come to an end at some point though, right? By Harry Bamforth Emmanuel Petit, former Arsenal midfielder, speaking to Discasino: By Harry Bamforth There is one man who should have Arsenal very worried tonight, and that man is Alexander Isak. The Newcastle man has been on absolute smoke this season. You know that we all have those players that we just adore watching? Well, Isak is mine. The Newcastle man plays with such elegance when on the ball and my word is he is clinical. I mean, he has an air of Thierry Henry about him with the way he glides across the pitch, and also his finishing. Every single time I watch Isak play, I get flashbacks to Henry's glory years. Arsenal fans may be getting de ja vu when they watch him play this evening, although they will be desperate for him not to score. The bad news for them is that the likelihood of him finding the back of the net tonight is quite high. Isak has netted in 11 of his last 14 competitive appearances for Newcastle, scoring 13 goals in total, including in each of his last four games. Arsenal have already felt the wrath of Isak this season. The Swede netted the only goal of the game a Magpies' win against them at St James' Park earlier in the season. Should he score against Arsenal tonight, he’d become the first Newcastle player to score against the Gunners in two different games in a single season since Laurent Robert in 2001-02. Can he keep his fine run of form going? By Harry Bamforth Just the one change for Newcastle then. It's an enforced one with former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock coming in for the suspended Bruno Guimaraes. It means Dan Burn captains the Magpies this evening. Sven Botman joins him at the back, starting his second match in a row after returning from an ACL injury. By Harry Bamforth Kai Havertz is indeed fit enough to start. .. The German forward comes straight back into the Arsenal line-up after missing two matches through illness. Jurrien Timber returns from suspension while Myleds Lewis-Skelly comes in at left-back. Martin Odegaard is also back in from the start after being benched for the draw against Brighton through illness. Happy with this team, Arsenal fans? By Harry Bamforth Not a smile in sight. .. Look at Mikel Arteta, he does not look like he is messing about tonight, does he? The Arsenal players look extremely focused. Either that or they are very moody for some reason. I reckon it's the latter. By Harry Bamforth Some more early team news is coming your way. Photos seem to have shown that Kai Havertz will be on the Arsenal squad tonight following illness. I mean, why else would his shirt be in the dressing room? The real question is, will Havertz come in to start, or will he be on the bench? We will find out at 7pm! By Craig Hope At The Emirates Check the video below. .. By Harry Bamforth The footage has arrived! My colleague Craig said he was waiting patiently at the Emirates for the Newcastle bus to arrive, and it has. The squad looks very strong going by the personnel that has just arrived at the stadium. Will Eddie Howe go full strength? I reckon he will. By Harry Bamforth Oh, hello. .. After all the talk of Arsenal's injuries in the attacking positions, it seems there is some positive news. Pictures of the Arsenal players arriving at the Emirates are just coming through and Raheem Sterling has been snapped. There have been question marks over his fitness coming into this game, I don't think many expected him to be involved. Does this photo suggest otherwise? By Harry Bamforth Newcastle's midfield has been absolutely superb in the last month or so, it's the reason for their rich vain of form. The main reason for its brilliance is because of a certain Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian has been excellent in the middle of the park. He leads by example with his aggressive nature and ability to dictate the tempo of a match. Well, Newcastle are going to have to cope without him tonight. Guimaraes picked up a yellow card in the quarter-final win over Brentford, meaning he is suspended for the first-leg battle at the Emirates. It's a major, major blow for Eddie Howe. By Harry Bamforth Newcastle have had one of the tougher routes to the semi-final, it has to be said. The Magpies have played a game extra compared to Arsenal, starting in round two due to their lack of Europe. It was not an easy start to the journey as they went away to Nottingham Forest for their first test. A couple of seasons ago, that wouldn't have seen this as too difficult of a fixture, but this season, my word it's a toughie. Eddie Howe's side were taken all the way to penalties but managed to get the job done which set them up with an easier tie against Wimbledon. It was meant to be played in south London but the Plough Lane pitch was damaged due to weather meaning it took place at St James' Park instead. Nevertheless, Newcastle got the job done. Then came their trickiest test of the lot. .. Chelsea were the next visitors to the north east, and they arrived just days after beating Howe's team at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. This time though, Newcastle got the job done with relative ease before sweeping aside fellow west Londoners Brentford in the last eight. Now, they face their fourth London-based tournament in Arsenal. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal's luck with injuries this season has been fairly horrific, it has to be said. It feels like with each passing week that Mikel Arteta has lost another player to the physio table. The latest player to add to the growing list is young Ethan Nwaneri. The 17-year-old has been deputising for Bukayo Saka, who is out until March, on the right wing and even bagged himself a goal away at Brighton on Saturday night. However, Nwaneri had to be hooked at half-time and Arteta has since revealed that he will be out for a few weeks due to a 'muscular issue'. It has left the Gunners extremely short for numbers up top. Raheem Sterling is out with a knee problem while Kai Havertz has missed the last two games through illness. It's going to be interesting to see who starts on the right this evening. My guess is Gabriel Martinelli, what's yours? By Harry Bamforth Tonight's match feels like it's Arsenal's first major test in the Carabao Cup this season. That may seem harsh, but the Gunners have had a largely comfortable route to the semi-finals. Well, certainly compared to their rivals Tottenham who face Liverpool tomorrow. Arsenal opened up their campaign by blasting past League One Bolton Wanderers 5-1. It was an evening in which Ethan Nwaneri truly announced himself to the Gunners faithful with two goals. In the next round, Mikel Arteta's side went up north to face Preston and got past them with relative ease to set up a date with Crystal Palace at the Emirates. The Eagles gave Arsenal a run for their money, taking an early lead through Jean-Phillipe Mateta. However, a hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus got the job done, despite former Gunner Eddie Nketiah giving the home crowd a slight scare. And that leads us to here. .. By Craig Hope At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Would you just look at how peaceful the Emirates looks right now? There is not a single soul in sight, it's completely empty. It's quite weird to see actually. Well, it won't look like this for much longer as fans are soon to flock in for tonight's monumental clash. This place is going to be bouncing by the time kick-off comes in just over 90 minutes. It's going to be deafening - I can't wait. By Harry Bamforth Eddie Howe, Newcastle boss, speaking on Monday: By Harry Bamforth It doesn't get much bigger than this for Newcastle. .. The last time the Magpies won a major trophy, my father was only five years of age. It was back in 1969 as Newcastle lifted the European Fairs Cup. That was 31 years before I was even born. Domestically, the trophy drought is even worse. They have not won an English competition since 1955 when they lifted the FA Cup. It's fair to say, it's been a while. Eddie Howe and his players have made no secret of their burning desire to lift the Carabao Cup this year. It would be a monumental day in the club's history. Many of the squad involved tonight were on the brink of glory in this very competition back in 2023 as they reached the final. However, they lost to Manchester United at Wembley. The pain of that day will certainly be driving them on as they take to the Emirates turf tonight. Well, I'm sure the fans would like to think so. It's a mammoth task at hand but one they feel they can complete. By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, speaking on Monday: By Harry Bamforth Arsenal really need to shake off their 'nearly men' status. Mikel Arteta has rebuilt the Gunners into one hell of a team and deserves huge credit for that. However, Arsenal have not won a trophy since his first season in charge back in 2020. They have come close to winning the Premier League twice and have made various cup semi-finals, but they just can't get over the line. It just feels like this Carabao Cup is essential for Arteta's project, the club need some silverware. With that being said, tonight feels huge for them. This Newcastle side are no pushover and Arsenal will really need to take advantage of the first leg being at the Emirates. You feel as though they need a decent lead before heading up to St James' Park. The Gunners usually struggle in the north east. Can tonight be the first step toward a first trophy in five years? By Harry Bamforth Now tonight is absolutely huge, isn't it? At the start of the season, every team has dreams of reaching a cup final at Wembley. It's the pinnacle of English football. Well, Arsenal and Newcastle are just two matches from making that dream a reality. Both are desperate to win the Carabao Cup and get a trophy on their mantlepiece. People may call it the 'Mickey Mouse' Cup, but there is no doubt that it holds a lot of value in the whole footballing pyramid. We are still some way from finding out who will lift the trophy, but by the end of the night, we will have an indication of who will make the final. Tonight, the first leg of our first semi-final gets underway with the Gunners hosting Eddie Howe's Toon Army. Who will have the advantage going into next month's showdown at St James' Park? It's going to be a belting night. Strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group