Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier was supported by both his team-mates and club staff after making an error and missing a penalty in the Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat against Chelsea
If conceding a contentious 98th-minute equalizer in Paris was terrible, and conceding a late winner against AC Milan was heartbreaking, Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Chelsea was just as bad. Perhaps much more so considering the twin whammy of a late goal followed by the agony of a penalty shootout loss.
Chelsea had 78% possession, 15 shots, and seven times as many corners overall, but it appeared as if injury-ravaged Newcastle had stemmed the tide in the dying moments – long after Callum Wilson had taken the visitors’ lone notable chance at Stamford Bridge. In fact, by the 91st minute, only the 4,300 Geordies in the away end could be heard singing, ‘Who’s that team we call United?’ Some Chelsea fans had even made a beeline for the exits in order to beat the traffic.
They missed a sting in the tail immediately before death. Kieran Trippier read Malo Gusto’s hopeful cross, but the substitute bizarrely headed the ball back into the danger zone inside his own box, where Mykhailo Mudryk pounced and volleyed home to tie the game at one.
It was a sledgehammer blow. Tino Livramento was holding his head in his hands. Dan Burn flailed his arms in the air. Trippier collapsed to the ground, but the worst was yet to come once the game went to penalties.
After reaching the bottom corner, Cole Palmer scored first, eclipsing the wave of black and white behind the goal. Wilson then leveled the score with a confident penalty kick, before Conor Gallagher won the shootout 2-1.
Trippier moved forward, apparently wanting to accept responsibility and make amends, but the England international blasted wide and was the only player to miss the target in the shootout. Chelsea took full advantage of the situation thanks to rookie Christopher Nkunku.
Despite Bruno Guimaraes’ goal to make it 3-2, Mudryk sent Martin Dubravka the wrong way to restore Chelsea’s two-goal lead. All hinged on Newcastle’s sixth penalty. Matt Ritchie’s shot was palmed away by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, sending ecstatic Chelsea fans jumping to ‘One Step Beyond’.
Emotions can run high in the heat of the moment, but it was telling that no fingers were pointed, nor was anyone dressed in black and white racing down the tunnel at full speed. The camaraderie and solidarity that Trippier helped to nurture when he swapped life in the Champions League for a relegation-threatened side less than two years ago was visible away from the cameras. Not only did Newcastle players and staff wrap their arms around Trippier and Ritchie, but they also stood up for them.
After Trippier had given Newcastle so much, Howe swore it was ‘our turn to support him and look after him the other way – and that’s what we will do. Callum Wilson praised his teammate as a ‘great player, guy, and professional’.
“He was one of the first to join us once the takeover happened,” Wilson explained to NUFC TV. “It demonstrated his commitment and dedication to the club, for which we will be eternally grateful.” He’s been a rock in the back since he arrived, and nights like tonight are what he gets. People make mistakes throughout matches. That’s all there is to it. We win and we lose together. On the field, we all make mistakes.”
In reality, this defeat will have hurt Trippier the most. Trippier will be 34 years old when he returns to this sport. Even reaching this round of the cup is no easy task, and Newcastle had previously eliminated triple winners Manchester City and holders Manchester United to open up the draw.
It’s one thing to be only minutes away from the final four, but Newcastle would have fancied themselves to reach a second consecutive final, with Middlesbrough, Fulham, and Liverpool/West Ham the only remaining teams in the competition. The drought, however, will enter its 56th year unless Newcastle can win the FA Cup, which begins with a Wear-Tyne derby next month.
This conflict with fierce rivals Of course, Sunderland was far from Howe’s mind prior to this game, and the Newcastle manager made only three changes for the trip to London, with Emil Krafth, Sven Botman, and Lewis Miley all starting. On the surface, this appeared to be a stronger lineup than the one that thrashed holders Manchester United 3-0 in the previous round. However, several of these exhausted players were competing in their eighth match in just 24 days.
Could they go again as Newcastle sought to escape quitting a second competition in as many weeks? In actuality, they had little choice; with an XI missing, Howe picked two goalkeepers on the bench in his 100th game as manager, with Matt Ritchie the only forward option in reserve.
Newcastle must have feared having to call on that bench after Moises Caicedo collided with Anthony Gordon, leaving the winger in a heap. The British record signing was just cautioned, but it might have easily been red if VAR had been in use.
Chelsea breathed a sigh of relief, but Newcastle appeared relieved only a few minutes later when Conor Gallagher’s curling effort from distance rocked the crossbar. Newcastle, on the other hand, were unfazed. Indeed, the visitors were quickly in front.
Callum Wilson intercepted Levi Colwill’s poor ball within the number nine’s own half after a quarter-hour of play. Wilson ran up the field but was quickly dispossessed after being crowded by Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, and Moises Caicedo 25 yards from goal.
Wilson, on the other hand, did not give up and continued to pursue Badiashile. The perplexed Chelsea center-back gave Newcastle an early Christmas present by allowing Wilson back in when he miskicked the ball under pressure, and the striker did not need a second invitation as he finished clinically on his 100th appearance for the club.
Chelsea appeared surprised – but only for a moment. With less than a half-hour remaining, Raheem Sterling pushed the ball wide after attempting to pick out the far corner from close range. Then, with the goal gaping, Bruno Guimaraes made a brilliant block on the line to deny Sterling, who celebrated the intervention as if he had scored.
Such moments ensured Newcastle led at the break, and Howe used half-time to bring on Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier in place of Sven Botman and Emil Krafth, before being forced to make another change just a few minutes later when Matt Ritchie replaced the hobbling Gordon.
Disrupted Newcastle were pushed further back, and Nicolas Jackson somehow blasted wide on the spin from close range before Dubravka had to be alert in the 56th minute to keep out Sterling’s drilled effort. Chelsea pushed forward and pinned Newcastle back.
Despite Chelsea’s injuries, Pochettino had the luxury of bringing on £171.2m in quality off the bench in the form of debutant Christopher Nkunku, as well as the quick Mykhailo Mudryk and Malo Gusto in the second half.
When Mudryk’s enticing cross towards the back post appeared to be headed for Gusto, Livramento snuck in to make a key defensive header against his former team.
Newcastle were seconds away from their first victory at Stamford Bridge since 2012. However, just as Chelsea appeared to be out of ideas, Mudryk delivered a late sucker blow to force a penalty shootout. Chelsea eventually held their nerve.
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