Newcastle United are heading to Wembley.
Thanks to Sean Longstaff's first half brace, the Magpies saw off Southampton and made it to a domestic cup final for the first time in 24 years. On an emotional night at St James' Park, here are some talking points and moments you might have missed:
Hollywood selfies
Newcastle had confirmed before the match that new signings Anthony Gordon and Harrison Ashby would be in attendance at St James' Park but there was a surprise VIP guest in the directors' box.
Supporters did a double take as Luther star Idris Elba took his seat alongside Amanda Staveley, with fans nearby taking the opportunity to grab a selfie.
And they weren't the only ones. After the game Elba made an appearance in the dressing room and then posed for a couple of pictures pitchside, with Newcastle's former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock taking the opportunity to get a quick snap.
Introductions and farewells
Beaming Gordon and Ashby were both welcomed onto the pitch pre-match after completing their moves to Newcastle in the final stages of the window.
Last time Gordon was on Tyneside he was confronted by Newcastle players and, according to then-Everton boss Frank Lampard, called a "diver", with the young midfielder at the heart of an incident that sparked a melee between both sets of players.
The mood music couldn't have been any different this time, with Gordon's name chanted to the tune of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army when he was introduced onto the pitch.
He's since tweeted: "What a welcome. My first few days in the Toon have been special… from the people in the city to the fans in the stadium, everyone has been so welcoming. Can’t wait to play in front of you all & cheer on the boys at Wembley!!"
While the introductions took place before the game, at half-time there was a farewell as Jonjo Shelvey waved goodbye to the fans before his move to Nottingham Forest was confirmed. He travelled back from Nottingham with Chris Wood for the game and the pair joined the players in the dressing room afterwards for the celebrations.
Dan Burn said: "They'll be a huge miss. I was really gutted when they left.
"They're two big characters we'll miss in the dressing room. I'm sad but I'm happy for them, especially Jonjo. He's had a bad time with injuries this season. I wish them all the best."
Jonjo Shelvey says goodbye on the St James’ Park pitch… #NUFC pic.twitter.com/he5WIdAqlp
— Scott Wilson (@Scottwilsonecho) January 31, 2023
Nathan Jones's frustration and praise
As strange as it sounds, Newcastle did a good job of containing Nathan Jones!
The Southampton boss is a bundle of energy in the technical area but looked understandably deflated after Newcastle raced into a two-goal lead.
"We just started so slowly and everything we talked about in an aggressive start, about being positive, about being bold, and then to just switch off on two occasions on stuff we talked about is really frustrating," he said afterwards.
Asked whether he thinks Newcastle can go on to win it, Jones said: "They’re in the final now, they’ve got a really good opportunity. They’re a very good side, they’re third in the Premier League just over the halfway stage so they must be doing something right in terms of recruitment they’ve done. Eddie is doing a wonderful job.
"They're a very, very difficult side. They're big, strong, athletic, they run, they can handle the football, they’ve got some wonderful players in certain areas. You look at [Miguel] Almiron, Bruno, Joelinton, some wonderful players and plus they work hard and they’re very systematic so they are a tough side to play in in any competition."
READ MORE:
- Eddie Howe on Sean Longstaff's evolution - and Newcastle's 'great local core'
- Eddie Howe says transfer window was 'not perfect' as Magpies fail to sign midfielder
The ticket rush
And so, to Wembley for Newcastle's first domestic cup final since 1999.
Understandably, there's a huge clamour for tickets.
The club tweeted on Wednesday morning: "Ticket information for the Carabao Cup final will be confirmed and announced in the coming days.
"Please note that our Box Office won't be able to assist with queries relating to the final until then. Full details will be announced on club channels as soon as possible."
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