Newcastle moved a step closer to a first major domestic trophy since 1955 with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals Tuesday.
Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at the Emirates Stadium put Newcastle within reach of the final at Wembley Stadium in March. The second leg is at St. James’ Park on Feb. 5.
It was Newcastle’s first win at the Emirates since 2010 and Arsenal’s first home defeat since April.
Isak struck in the 37th minute to continue his outstanding scoring run with his 14th goal in 15 games. The Sweden international was involved in Newcastle’s second in the 51st, when his shot was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and the rebound was converted by Gordon.
Despite being bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2021, Newcastle hasn’t won a major domestic trophy since lifting the FA Cup almost 70 years ago. But it is close to second League Cup final in three years after losing to Manchester United in 2023.
Newcastle is also pushing for a return to the Champions League after missing out last season — sitting fifth in the Premier League standings and one point outside of the automatic qualifying places for European club soccer’s elite tournament.
Victory against Arsenal was a seventh straight win in all competitions for Eddie Howe’s team, which has been inspired by Isak’s brilliant goal-scoring form.
He fired in off the underside of the crossbar from close range after a long free kick was played into his path by Jacob Murphy.
It was Isak’s seventh goal in his last five games.
Despite in-stadium referee announcements being trialed for the match, an apparent push in the buildup to his goal did not result in referee Craig Pawson reviewing the sideline monitor.
It was Isak’s sharpness that led to Newcastle’s second. His effort from inside the box six minutes into the second half was parried by Raya, but Gordon was the quickest to react at the far post to fire home.
Arsenal was unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions and is second in the Premier League standings.
It had the chance to take the lead when Gabriel Martinelli burst through in the 29th and fired against the post.
Kai Havertz wasted a golden opportunity to pull a goal back when his attempted header from directly in front of goal came off his shoulder and went wide.
Tottenham plays Liverpool in the other semifinal, with the first leg being staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.

RIYADH: AC Milan players praised the support they received in Saudi Arabia for helping to inspire an incredible 3-2 comeback victory in the EA Sports FC Supercup final over holders and rivals Inter Milan in Riyadh on Monday.

Tammy Abraham’s injury-time winner sparked joyous scenes from the AC Milan players, bench and fans packed into Al-Awwal Park, united in celebration of sporting drama at its most thrilling.

Having fallen behind to goals from Inter strikers Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi, the Rossoneri produced a turnaround for the ages. Theo Hernandez curled in a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area in the 52nd minute before Christian Pulisic struck home from an angle with 10 minutes remaining.

Pulisic’s exquisite injury-time pass was then latched onto by substitute Rafael Leao to play in fellow sub Abraham for the easiest and most satisfying of tap-ins, providing new manager Sergio Conceicao with a trophy in just his second match in charge following another comeback in the 2-1 win over Juventus in the semifinal on Friday.

“It was not easy, especially the first half but I really believed in the signs the guys gave me during the week,” Conceicao said. “I changed just a few things, and they were good ones; I truly believe in my work and in my staff. We need to have the right mentality to change the rest of the season. I accepted AC Milan and I’m happy. We have been hosted in a wonderful way in Saudi and I want to thank all the organizers and fans.”

Conceicao took over from Portuguese compatriot Paulo Fonseca at the helm of the San Siro side on Dec. 30.

Leao, the Milan No.10 who played a key role in the comeback, said: “I must thank the Saudi fans; they have been incredible. They created a beautiful vibe. Winning something with Milan is full of emotion. It’s a collective win, I also thank all of my team-mates and the coach too. The coach brought a fresh mentality and new energy. We believed it till the end. This trophy is an opportunity to change the rest of the season.”

For Inter, there was only disappointment in a city that has served them so well over the past few years. The Saudi capital has hosted of two of the Nerazzurri’s last three Italian Supercup triumphs, meaning Inter were thwarted in their bid for a treble in Riyadh to crown a record four wins in succession.

Simone Inzaghi, the Inter manager, told the post-final press conference: “We reopened the game with our mistakes and Milan did a few strategic changes. We had to do something more in the last 20 minutes. We will go back with a defeat, but we will do better. We missed good players, but this is football at the end. Losing a derby is hard, but we will react positively and be ready as soon as possible for our following games.”

The Supercup final defeat for Inter followed a late-goal loss in Serie A to AC Milan in September. Serie A champions Inter are currently third in the league, with their city rivals eighth.

Federico DiMarco, the Inter Milan left wing-back, said: “A team like us can’t lose from 2-0. We did a few mistakes and congratulations to Milan. All defeats help us to improve. Losing the derby in a final is not easy, but we will improve and make it better. The team give everything, the opponent was strong. It’s the second time they have scored against us in the final minutes. We will wake up and get ready for the following games. We won the last three Supercups. Everything was beautiful, the vibes were good, but this time I can’t say I’m fully happy.”