- Sandro Tonali scored twice in the first half to put Newcastle in control
- Fabian Schar scored a third goal for the hosts in the second half
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They now have two feet in a two-legged semi-final, the next step is one hand on the trophy – after almost 70 years of tripping over themselves in search of national silverware, Newcastle strode into the last four of the Carabao Cup thanks to an Italian who starts walking the walk.
Sandro Tonali had not scored since his debut 16 months ago – ten of them banned for illegal gambling – and until recently he did not seem fit for the Premier League or this team.
But after being moved to a new No.6 role last month, the £52m midfielder is the new No.1 with supporters.
His two goals here secured a victory that takes Newcastle within one draw of a Wembley final, and boy were they worth the wait, a couple of first-half stunners that raised the roof and the temperature of a chilly Tyneside night.
Best of all for Eddie Howe, however, was the ease with which his team navigated a match billed as a season-defining one.
They made it seem like it didn’t matter at all, as if the latter stages of cup competitions were their natural home. That is of course not the case, which is why they last won a domestic trophy in 1955.
Sandro Tonali was Newcastle’s hero as he scored a first-half brace against Brentford
The Italian midfielder’s first goal was a fierce strike from the edge of the penalty area
He then smashed home from a corner after Brentford defenders got in each other’s way
Newcastle were beaten in the final of this competition two seasons ago under Howe, but there was too much emotion surrounding that journey. This was rather clinical.
“There was definitely a different feeling with Leicester (a quarter-final win in 2022),” Howe said. ‘There was a lot of emotion that night, as if it was a semi-final. It felt different tonight. We want to do that as regularly as possible.’
Tonali played in the semi-finals of the Champions League with Milan two seasons ago. It’s been a winding path for him so far.
“I like to see players rewarded for dedication, hard work and loyalty,” Howe said. “Those things mean a lot when you see what a player has given to achieve success. You can now see him enjoying his football and playing a central role in the team.
‘Sandro has been through a lot here, many difficult moments, many dark times and probably a lot of doubt. Now everyone sees what a good player he is.’
Newcastle weren’t great in the opening 45 minutes – a half-goal XG – but they didn’t need to be with a deep-lying midfielder putting away every half-chance that came his way.
Tonali’s first, after nine minutes, came when Nathan Collins half-cleared Tino Livramento’s cross and the Italian star returned it with interest from 25 yards. Mark Fleks may have gone unnoticed in the Brentford goal, but even with perfect vision he couldn’t stop it; the ball whistles through bodies and into the bottom corner.
The game drifted a bit after that, at least until Tonali himself drifted unnoticed into the penalty area and met Anthony Gordon’s corner two minutes before half-time. He jumped off the lawn to connect and when his volley hit the back of the net, the people in the stands jumped from their seats.
Fabian Schar rounded off the win by tapping home from close range, delighting the home fans
Yoane Wissa pulled back a late consolation for Brentford, who exited at the quarter-finals
The only sour note of the opening period was the bookings for captain Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar, which would rule them out of the first leg of the semi-final. Undeterred, Guimaraes set up Schar for the 69th minute goal that confirmed the outcome.
The home fans then sang about trips to Wembley – Yoane Wissa did grab a consolation in stoppage time – but ‘Tell me Ma’ only reached second in the charts after a tune about a ‘midfield maestro from Milan’. His swagger has taken Newcastle one step closer to the Holy Grail.