'You could tell that we were ready to take it all,' says Dúbravka | OneFootball

A fine 2-0 victory over Arsenal at St. James' Park on Wednesday night sealed a 4-0 aggregate win for Eddie Howe's side and booked a return to Wembley, where the Magpies were beaten by Manchester United in 2023's showpiece.

That meant Newcastle's long wait for silverware continued, but Dúbravka is determined to help United win a domestic cup for the first time since 1955 when they take on either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool at the national stadium on March 16th.

"We are buzzing because we are going to Wembley," the Slovakia international told newcastleunited.com. "This was our aim.

"The feeling about the victory yesterday, the whole thing was massive; the feelings and expectation were there before the match, but the fans created an amazing atmosphere from the first minute and I think you could tell that we were ready to ready to take it all."

Dúbravka was cup-tied when Newcastle last went to Wembley, having played in earlier rounds for Manchester United during a loan spell at Old Trafford.

And he admitted: "The feeling the two years ago was a bit strange; for me, it was a mess but now I'm there with the team, playing the games, and I can make some impact that can affect the games as well.

"So it's completely different for me. I'm looking forward to it. It's a special moment for everyone in the club. You can tell the fans are buzzing and I can tell that the boys now are ready to win it. We want to win it, we want to give it to the fans, to the club. After so many years it would be amazing."

The goalkeeper has played each of the last 13 games for United since coming into the side after Nick Pope suffered a knee injury. Pope is now fit again, but Dúbravka has kept his place and recorded his eighth clean sheet of the campaign on Wednesday.

He made an important and impressive save from Leandro Trossard shortly after Jacob Murphy had given United the lead on the night, and dealt commandingly with several Gunners set-pieces.

"I just enjoy the matches - that's the most important thing for me at the moment," he added. "Since I came back to the starting line-up, I'm enjoying every moment because I've been waiting a long time, and I'm just trying to make the most of it.

"If you can help the boys in any aspect, I will try to do it and I think the boys appreciated it yesterday, the same as I appreciated their blocks, their effort. We are in the same boat, we wanted the same thing. I have to say, I've had the chance to experience different environments and different dressing rooms but this is probably the best I've ever been in.

"I went through the transition; obviously we were at different stages under different owners, and everything was different. Now we are competing with the best teams, we are challenging and we want to win trophies.

"We are nearly there - so I hope that this time it will happen for us."