SO far, so good. Newcastle United have reached the halfway stage of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Southampton with a goal advantage, and while they still have to complete the job on Tyneside next Tuesday, they might never have a better chance of making it to Wembley.

Joelinton’s 73rd-minute winner settled things at St Mary’s, with the Brazilian making up for a glaring miss at the start of the second half and a controversial first-half handball that saw an earlier effort chalked off by turning home Alexander Isak’s low cross.

Newcastle’s latest clean sheet was threatened when Adam Armstrong bundled the ball home with 15 minutes remaining, but with the Geordie’s effort being ruled out for handball, Nick Pope’s two superb second-half saves enabled the England international to claim his tenth shutout in a row.

Whereas Pope’s heroics are becoming commonplace, the sight of the Magpies in the last four of the League Cup most certainly was not. The club’s only previous outing at the same stage of the competition came way back in 1976, when a two-legged victory over Tottenham took the Magpies to Wembley.

They will hope for a repeat next week, having been the more threatening side throughout last night’s first leg. They might have claimed the lead within the opening two minutes had Joe Willock displayed more composure when Miguel Almiron rolled the ball into his path, with the midfielder’s first-time effort flying well over the crossbar.

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Kieran Trippier almost set up Willock for another opportunity with a cross that fizzed across the face of the six-yard box midway through the first half, and the full-back was Newcastle’s prime creative outlet for most of the night.

Had it been Callum Wilson, not Willock, meeting the full-back’s 35th-minute delivery, the visitors might well have scored. As it was, Willock blazed another wasteful first-time strike over the top.

Four minutes later, and the ball was finally in the net, only for Newcastle’s effort to be controversially disallowed. Willock’s strike was saved by Gavin Bazunu, Wilson’s initial rebound effort was blocked, and while Joelinton stabbed home when the ball broke into his path, referee Stuart Attwell adjudged that the ball had struck the Brazilian’s arm. It was a close call, with replays suggesting it had come off his hip first, but the decision was upheld by VAR.

Joelinton was unfortunate on that occasion, but he only had himself to blame when the scoresheet remained blank eight minutes into the second half. Newcastle’s number seven had the goal at his mercy when Almiron’s deflected cross fell into his path, but from the edge of the six-yard box, he lofted a dreadful effort over the bar. Given what was at stake, it was a terrible miss, but he would atone for it later.

Armstrong almost made him pay when he dribbled into the area before firing wide, and with the hosts finally stirring, Pope made two huge saves within the space of three second-half minutes.

Che Adams broke behind Fabian Schar, but Pope kept out the Scotsman’s low strike with an outstretched foot. Then, when Adams threatened again, turning in the box after a free-kick was nodded into his path, Pope flung himself to his left to produce another excellent stop.

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With his side on the back foot for the first time all night, Howe turned to his bench to introduce Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin. Six minutes after his introduction, and the former was setting up his side’s winner.

Isak surged on the outside of Mohammed Salisu to get to the byline, and when he pulled the ball across the six-yard box, Joelinton was left with the simple task of turning home.

Two minutes later, and Southampton thought they had equalised, only for a VAR call to come to Newcastle’s rescue. Armstrong scuffed his initial shot from Samuel Edozie’s cross, and when the ball rebounded off Dan Burn, it struck his arm before he forced it past Pope.

Southampton ended the game with ten men, with Duje Caleta-Car picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Saint-Maximin with four minutes left.