WHEN diehard Newcastle United fan, Dan Burn, envisaged his first goal for the team he has supported all his life, it would have been exactly like this.

A match-winning strike, in front of the Gallowgate End, to send the Magpies into their first League Cup semi-final for almost 50 years. Sometimes, dreams really do come true.

Burn’s 60th-minute strike finally broke Leicester’s stubborn resistance at St James’ Park, paving the way for Joelinton’s equally emphatic strike 12 minutes later that left Eddie Howe’s side just a two-legged last-four win away from a place at Wembley. Saturday’s early FA Cup exit at Sheffield Wednesday might have stung, but four days later, and with Howe reverting to his first-choice team, it was well and truly forgotten.

It had looked like being one of those night when Danny Ward repelled a series of good Newcastle chances in the opening hour, but even Leicester’s inspired goalkeeper was unable to deny Burn his moment in the St James’ Park spotlight. Born in Blyth and raised on a diet of Champions League football in the Sir Bobby Robson era, the Northumbrian has now written a piece of black-and-white history of his own. Finally, Newcastle’s cup hoodoo might be coming to an end.

Even by the feverish standards St James’ Park has been setting this season, the atmosphere at kick-off felt especially intense and expectant, and it did not take Newcastle’s players long to feed off the energy that was coursing around the ground.

On Boxing Day, as they cruised to victory at Leicester’s King Power Stadium, the Magpies scored twice inside the opening eight minutes. Last night, they could easily have had two goals in the first 180 seconds.

Sean Longstaff should have scored when Joe Willock cut the ball back into his path from close to the byline, but from eight yards out, the midfielder skewed his side-footed attempt wide. Bruno Guimaraes found himself with a much more difficult chance when Joelinton rolled the ball into his path moments later, but the Brazilian would have backed himself to at least find the target from 25 yards. Instead, he whistled a low shot wide, and repeated the trick when he linked up with his compatriot again in almost identical fashion on the quarter-hour mark.

Newcastle’s first-half attacking was relentless, but the Leicester defence just about managed to hold firm, with Ward coming to his side’s rescue midway through the opening period as he palmed Longstaff’s shot around the post.

To the Foxes’ credit, they gradually settled into the game after quelling Newcastle’s initial fury, and they might have found themselves in an even better position had former Magpies forward Ayoze Perez not shot straight at Nick Pope after Youri Tielemans teed him up on the edge of the box.

Patson Daka wasted a decent position by attempting to square the ball to Harvey Barnes from the right of the area rather than taking a shot on, but the first half ended with Newcastle back on top. Again, though, Guimaraes failed to make the most of a decent opening as he shot straight at Ward.

Ward was an effective last line of defence for the visitors all evening, and the Foxes goalkeeper produced another crucial intervention in the opening minute of the second half. Joelinton’s low shot was creeping in after flicking off Marc Albrighton’s foot, but Ward threw himself to his right to touch the ball onto the base of the post. Eight minutes later, and he was in the thick of things again, parrying Longstaff’s sliding effort around the upright.

It was going to take something to beat the Leicester keeper, and it arrived via Burn’s right foot on the hour mark. Receiving Joelinton’s pass, the full-back burst between two Leicester defenders before slotting a superb right-footed finish across Ward and into the far corner.

A second goal arrived to settle things, with Joelinton breaking onto Almiron’s pass before slotting a low finish into the same corner Burn had found 12 minutes earlier.