PERHAPS the Carabao Cup final will not be the only game Newcastle United play at Wembley this season.
Having booked their place at the national stadium in the League Cup in midweek, the Magpies are now just two wins away from a Wembley appearance in an FA Cup semi-final after winning a fourth-round thriller against Birmingham City.
Rocked by the concession of a first-minute goal, a Newcastle side featuring nine changes from the midweek win over Arsenal were ahead shortly after the midway point of the first half thanks to goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson.
Tomoki Iwata’s long-range equaliser for Birmingham meant the game was back in the balance, but Willock claimed a winner with eight minutes remaining, sweeping home a first-time strike after the ball broke kindly for him on the corner of the six-yard box.
Newcastle could not have made a worse start, with Birmingham's opener coming after just 43 seconds.
Keshi Anderson was left completely unmarked as he drifted to the back post to meet a corner, and after the ball was headed back across goal, Ethan Laird hooked home a first-time volley via a deflection off Wilson.
A mist-shrouded St Andrew’s was rocking, and had Nick Pope not made a smart save to keep out Anderson’s effort from the left of the penalty area, Newcastle could have found themselves in deep trouble.
As it was, the Premier League side had just about managed to gather their thoughts when they equalised in controversial fashion midway through the first half.
Even Willock thought he had wasted a glorious opportunity when his shot from Will Osula’s pull-back was parried by Bailey Peacock-Farrell, but the Birmingham goalkeeper was standing behind the goalline and after a brief delay, a goal was awarded. With no goalline technology available, the officials had to make their decision the old-fashioned way. Replays suggested it was an extremely close call, while also revealing that neither the referee, Matthew Donohue, nor his assistant, Nigel Lugg, had a clear view of what was going on.
The goal enlivened Newcastle, and within five minutes, the visitors were claiming the lead. Tino Livramento crossed from the right, with Willock keeping the ball alive at the back post. Osula, a summer signing from Sheffield United, got in the way of things as he loitered on the goalline, but the ball broke kindly for Wilson, who was able to hook home.
Would Birmingham heads drop? Not a bit of it. The home side continued to play with aggression and purpose, and while Jay Stansfield wasted an excellent opportunity as he headed wide from six yards out, the Blues claimed a deserved equaliser five minutes before the break.
It was a cracker, with Iwata firing a first-time drive into the top corner after Matt Targett failed to adequately clear his lines.
Newcastle’s lack of control was surprising given the gap of two divisions separating the teams, and while the decision to replace Bruno Guimaraes with Sandro Tonali at half-time was probably pre-planned, it also felt like an acknowledgment of the visitors’ failings, particularly in midfield, where Birmingham were happy for the game to be as unstructured as possible.
Fabian Schar and Jacob Murphy also came on as Howe was forced to turn to some of his big hitters, but while the latter came close with a shot that was fired straight at Peacock-Farrell, the game remained in the balance as full-time approached.
Or at least it did until the 82nd minute. Newcastle had been doing most of the pressing in the closing stages, and their winner arrived when Livramento sent Sean Longstaff away on the overlap down the right. Longstaff’s attempted cross was blocked, but the ball broke to Willock, who swept home a clinical finish.
