Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle: High drama at St Andrew’s as Magpies survive FA Cup scare | OneFootball

After reaching their second League Cup final in three seasons, Newcastle aimed to progress to the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of Birmingham City this evening.

Many believed Newcastle had a good chance against the League One leaders, especially with 38 places separating the two teams in the English football pyramid. Magpies head coach Eddie Howe felt it was the right opportunity to make nine changes from the starting lineup that won Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

History favoured Newcastle: Birmingham City had won only one of their last 15 meetings with them in all competitions (D7 L7), that sole victory being a 5-1 away win in an FA Cup third-round replay in 2007.

However, football is not played on paper, and the Premier League visitors were stunned when Ethan Laird scored for the hosts just inside the opening minute. Birmingham quickly won a corner, which was delivered to the back post and headed into the box. Laird then volleyed the ball with his left foot, and it flew past Nick Pope after deflecting off Callum Wilson.

That lead lasted just over 20 minutes until Wilson provided a superb low cross for William Osula, who found Joe Willock. Willock’s effort toward goal seemed to be incredibly saved by Bailey Peacock-Farrell, but the linesman’s flag went up, indicating that the ball had crossed the line—though it was exceedingly close.

Momentum is an interesting phenomenon. Wilson, who played a pivotal role in the game’s opening two goals, soon put Newcastle in front. Having understandably lost his starting position to Alexander Isak, as Howe prefers a lone striker, this was an opportunity for Wilson to remind everyone of his value.

The build-up to the goal was excellent. Pope picked out Osula, whose first touch was incredible as he drove towards goal. Tino Livramento then delivered the ball into the box, leading to chaos in the area. Wilson reacted quickly, prodding the ball into the net with his studs.

It was Wilson’s first goal of the season, coming in only his sixth appearance and first start. A back injury and then a hamstring injury ultimately limited his playing time this season. Before today’s game, the most Wilson had played in a match was a 22-minute appearance in a 0-2 loss to West Ham back in November.

But this is the ‘cup’ where incredible things happen, and Just before half-time, Tomoki Iwata delivered one of the most stunning FA Cup goals you will ever see. He sprinted onto a bouncing ball and struck it powerfully into the top corner from about 25 yards out. Since joining from Celtic last summer, this marked his seventh goal for the Brummies, and none were sweeter than this one.

The second half became captivating as extra time seemed imminent until Willock emerged to net his second goal of the match. Becoming the match-winner for the Magpies felt significant for the 25-year-old midfielder, especially after he revealed that he was subjected to abuse on Instagram following a disappointing 2-1 Premier League defeat against Fulham, which his club has since reported to the police.

He came off the bench in the 64th minute last weekend to replace the injured Joelinton, as his team sought to recover after Raul Jimenez equalised, cancelling out Jacob Murphy’s first-half goal. Willock almost restored his team’s lead but missed his chance when attempting to convert a cross from Isak. The Magpies’ miserable afternoon was completed when Rodrigo Muniz scored the winning goal for Fulham, tapping in a free-kick from fellow substitute Andreas Pereira just eight minutes from the end.

Willock was by no means at fault for the Fulham loss; however, he demonstrated mental fortitude during this rare start for Newcastle and was ultimately named man of the match. “Joe Willock has epitomised everything Eddie Howe wants from his Newcastle players. He hasn’t been playing regularly but has managed to step up,” said on BBC commentary.

Having reached the quarter-finals last season, Newcastle advanced to the FA Cup fifth round in consecutive campaigns for the first time since 2004-05 and 2005-06. It’s been 70 years since Newcastle last won a trophy. They have a chance to end that drought with their upcoming match against Liverpool in the League Cup final. However, if they do fall short again, they will still have a backup plan, as they remain in the FA Cup.