Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Newcastle United (3-4 on penalties): Here are five takeaways from the encounter.
Newcastle United did not take things easy as they advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Blackburn Rovers.
The match concluded 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal cancelled out by Sammie Szmodics. The score remained the same throughout extra time, sending the match to penalties.
Martin Dubravka saved two penalties in the shootout as Newcastle advanced to their second FA Cup quarter-final since 2006; here are some highlights from the game.
Five changes, no Sven Botman & surprise injury return
After Newcastle’s 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday, head coach Eddie Howe made five changes to his squad. Dubravka recovered from illness to start immediately in goal, while Jamaal Lascelles began his first game in almost two months while Sven Botman rested.
Howe explained, “[Botman] was just resting today.” We believe Sven would gain more from training than being involved today.”
Dan Burn also returned to the starting lineup for Tino Livramento, while Joe Willock made his first start in almost three months after returning from injury. Jacob Murphy began on the right wing, with Miguel Almiron sliding to the bench.
Elliot Anderson, who had been sidelined for more than four months, made a surprising injury return as a replacement. The 21-year-old had just recently returned to training, yet he helped the team win by coming on as a late substitute.
Despite not touching the ball in extra time, Anderson confidently converted his penalty, allowing Newcastle to win the shootout.
Arsenal ‘hangover’ evident?
Newcastle’s performance at Arsenal was one of the worst of the season thus far. Playing an out-of-form Championship side a few days later afforded an excellent opportunity to recover and regain confidence.
However, things did not go as planned, as Blackburn frequently looked the more menacing side and, if not for Dubravka, could have easily proceeded.
Given the level of opposition, Newcastle’s performance at Blackburn felt worse in many respects than Arsenal’s, since the same faults remained even against a 16th-placed Championship team. Confidence is low, and the side’s shape and organisation appear to have vanished.
While Howe confessed that his side was suffering from a ‘hangover’ following the Arsenal encounter at Ewood Park, he felt there were several areas where they might improve.
“I thought generally our attitude was much better,” he told The Gazette. “We were struggling and gave everything.
“We weren’t ideal in our performance, but our spirit was there, as it has been since I’ve been here, with the exception of two games, and it must be present in every game. We spoke honestly after the Arsenal game, and our performance was undoubtedly affected by a hangover [from the Arsenal game], which may have dented our confidence, but hopefully that will be restored for the next game.”
Newcastle will next face Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in the Premier League. Wolves are one position and one point above The Magpies in the table.
Martin Dubravka saves Newcastle United’s season
With Newcastle struggling in the Premier League, the FA Cup represents the only bright spot in an otherwise bleak second half of the season. Martin Dubravka has helped the side to within 90 minutes of returning to Wembley Stadium.
Everything that happens in the league from now on will be forgiven and forgotten if Newcastle wins the FA Cup for the first time since 1955. It’s still a long way off, but there is some hope as long as they’re still in the running.
Dubravka’s several saves in normal time, as well as the two in the shootout, have kept Newcastle’s prospects of winning this season alive, although in the least convincing way possible.
The goalkeeper’s season-saving efforts were all the more impressive given that he was sick over the weekend and missed the Arsenal game.
And Howe said it was uncertain whether Dubravka would make the game at Ewood Park.
“Yeah, it was [touch and go], but it wasn’t clear,” he told The Gazette. “He was nowhere near fit for the weekend against Arsenal so he hasn’t been 100% for quite a long period of time and has been playing slightly ill and he deserves huge credit for doing that.”
Sandro Tonali ‘spotted’ in the away end at Ewood Park
The call was captured by TheVocalHero, who posted the image on X.
I know someone who enjoyed that…#NUFC pic.twitter.com/gJEDAYvIE7
— Vocal Hero (@TheVocalHero) February 27, 2024
Tonali is now serving a 10-month betting suspension that will not end until August. However, he is still under investigation by the Football Association, which could result in further penalties.
Where was Newcastle United’s team photo?
Since Eddie Howe took over as Newcastle’s head coach, the club has issued a celebration team photo following each win, often taken in the dressing room.
Whether scraping through on penalties against a Championship team counts as a ‘victory’ is debatable, and Newcastle’s official X account refrained from uploading such an image on social media following the match due to anticipated reaction.
However, a changing room shot was taken at Ewood Park and shared by Newcastle United’s official ‘Arabic-language’ X account following the match.
The images have become a tradition, if not a superstition, at this stage, and the team previously took a dressing room shot after overcoming Crystal Palace on penalties in the Carabao Cup, proving that even successes are not immune to Serena Taylor’s lens. They must now follow up against Wolves at St James’ Park this Saturday.
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