EDDIE Howe believes Newcastle United's charge to the last four of the Carabao Cup will help rather than hinder their league campaign as the Magpies continue their push for Champions League football.
Newcastle booked their place in the last four of a domestic cup competition for the first time since 2005 thanks to their victory over Leicester City on Tuesday night.
But as much as Howe enjoyed what was an incredible night at St James' Park and is relishing the two-legged semi-final, his focus switched immediately to the Premier League and the visit of Fulham this weekend, as the Magpies look to get back to winning ways after successive draws.
READ MORE: Eddie Howe - 'This club has had to wait far too long for a League Cup semi-final'
And the head coach has no concerns whatsoever about the prospect of his players getting distracted by the cup and taking their eye off the ball in the league.
He said: "The semi-final can wait. Although there’ll be talk and excitement about it, the Premier League is hugely important to us.
“I don’t see that (focus) as an issue with this team. Just from my experience with them, I don’t think they’ve ever got too high this season. There’s always been a focus on what’s ahead rather than what they’ve achieved.
"I think it was really important to get the reaction from the FA Cup defeat and how we handled that. The players deserve a lot of credit. That could easily have shaken us, but it didn’t. The reaction from minute one was very good."
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The victory over Leicester ensured a first League Cup semi-final appearance for Newcastle since 1976, with Southampton in wait after the Premier League's bottom club stunned Manchester City on Wednesday.
Crucially for Newcastle, the second leg is at St James' Park, something Howe was hoping for before the draw was made.
He said: “It (the crowd) could be massive. The home tie is going to be hugely important. The two-legged semi-final is a different dynamic, but we’re just looking forward to it at this moment.
“I don’t think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Of course, we want to (win it), that’s the aim, we’re in it. But we’ll have a very difficult semi-final to navigate whoever we play."
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