Sean Longstaff scored twice as Newcastle United booked their EFL Cup final place after wrapping up a 3-1 aggregate victory over Southampton.
Magpies academy graduate Longstaff was the local hero at St James' Park, where his boyhood club were 2-1 winners in the second leg to seal a first cup final appearance since 1999.
The midfielder's first-half brace – and his first home goals in nearly four years – sent Eddie Howe's side to Wembley, though they finished the contest with 10 men after Bruno Guimaraes' late red card.
Che Adams scored a brilliant consolation for Southampton, who were denied a third final appearance in the competition.
The typically buoyant Toon Army were on their feet in the fifth minute when Longstaff exchanged passes with Kieran Trippier before sweeping the ball past Gavin Bazunu.
Longstaff went close again when he drilled just wide, but made no mistake in the 21st minute. A clever one-two with Joelinton released Joe Willock with the latter subsequently finding Miguel Almiron, whose inviting square ball was clinically tucked away by the midfielder.
Shell-shocked Southampton replied against the run of play eight minutes later. Willock's loose pass went straight to Adams, who denied the Magpies a ninth successive home clean sheet when he fired a stunning 25-yard effort into the bottom corner.
Saints almost clawed another goal back in the 73rd minute as Nick Pope denied former Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong.
Longstaff and Guimaraes went close to sealing it at the other end before the Brazil international received a straight red card following a VAR review for a late challenge on Samuel Edozie seven minutes from time.
But the numerical disadvantage could not deny the Magpies a long-awaited return to a Wembley final.
What does it mean? Newcastle seal Wembley return
Newcastle have reached their first EFL Cup final in 47 years – in what is the biggest gap between appearances – and will hope they are less than a month away from landing a first major trophy since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Southampton's hopes of becoming only the third team to recover from a semi-final first-leg defeat on home soil effectively ended after their slow start at St James' Park, where they have now won just once in 19 visits.
Longstaff the local hero
You wait 13 appearances for your first EFL Cup goal, and then two come along at once.
Indeed, Longstaff, who was just one-and-a-half years old when the Magpies were runners-up to Manchester United in the 1999 FA Cup, picked the perfect moment to help his boyhood club seal their return to a final with two brilliantly taken goals from a game-high four shots.
Adams matches Le Tissier
It proved a consolation but Adams made Southampton history with his fine strike; becoming the first Saints player since Matt Le Tissier (1994-95) to score five goals in a single EFL Cup campaign.
The striker is also the first player to score against Newcastle at St James' Park since Brentford's Ivan Toney in October, and the second to net against them in this season's competition after Elliott Nevitt of Tranmere Rovers.
What's next?
Newcastle resume their Champions League qualification surge at home to Bournemouth, while Southampton continue their battle for survival away at Brentford, both on Saturday.
St Kitts and Nevis, Belize secure first leg advantage in Nations League Play-In
Saint Kitts and Nevis and Belize place one foot in the Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims as both secured 2-1 wins over Cuba and French Guiana, respectively, in the opening leg of their Concacaf Nations League Play-In on Thursday.
Romaine Sawyers (8th) and Andre Burley (48th) were the scorers for Saint Kitts and Nevis, while Luis Paradela (40th) pulled one back for Cuba at the SKNFA Technical Center in Basseterre.
Meanwhile, at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, Belize through goals from Carlos Bernardez (67th) and Eugene Martinez (75th) also secured an advantage heading into return leg action on Tuesday. Thomas Torvic (90+3) got French Guiana’s goal.
The winning teams on aggregate will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims.
Saint Kitts and Nevis vs. Cuba
Sawyers opened the scoring for Saint Kitts and Nevis with a right-footed strike inside the penalty area after latching on to a final pass from Omari Sterling-James.
However, Paradela pulled Cuba level with a tidy finish from Orlando Calvo’s perfectly weighted ball into the area.
Cuba’s celebrations were short-lived as Burley restored the “Sugar Boyz” lead when he expertly headed home from Sterling-James’ weighted freekick.
Cuba will host Saint Kitts and Nevis in the second leg on Monday at Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba.
Belize vs. French Guiana
After playing out a goalless first half, Bernardez broke the deadlock for Belize from a penalty spot much to the delight of home crowd.
Martinez extended the lead when he applied the finishing touch to Jordy Polanco’s decent corner kick.
Down but not out, Torvic ensured French Guiana remained in striking distance as he headed home from Thomas Vancaeyezeele’s assist.
French Guiana and Belize will meet for the second leg on Tuesday at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname.
St Vincent and the Grenadines, El Salvador register wins in League B battle for promotion
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines kept hopes of a promotion in the Concacaf Nations League alive as they beat Monserrat 2-1, while El Salvador clipped Bonaire 1-0 in Group A of League B on Thursday.
Steven Pierre (42nd) fired home from a delightful Shakeem Adams pass before Cornelius Stewart (86th) converted from the penalty spot to seal a crucial win for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Meanwhile, Donervorn Daniels (88th) scored Montserrat’s consolation in the curtain-raiser of the double-header at Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador.
In the feature contest, host and group leaders El Salvador also secured a crucial win courtesy of Styven Vasquez’s 83rd-minute strike, which came from a Santos Ortiz assist.
By virtue of the results, El Salvador remain atop the standings on 12 points, two points ahead of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (10 points), while Bonaire (four points) and Montserrat (three points) are battling to avoid relegation.
As such, things will be interesting on Sunday’s final matchday as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will face Bonaire in the first encounter before El Salvador cross swords with Montserrat in the feature at the same venue.
Reggae Boyz edged 1-0 by US in Nations League quarter-final first leg
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz were left with a bittersweet taste in their mouths as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to the United States in the first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal clash at the National Stadium on Thursday.
It was a match defined by tension and missed chances, particularly for the Reggae Boyz, as Ricardo Pepi’s early fifth-minute strike proved decisive for the visitors, who left a packed crowd of 20,514 fans disappointed at the outcome.
With the win, United States, the reigning Concacaf Nations League champions will be even more confident heading into Monday's return leg in Missouri. Jamaica will be without England-born central defender Mason Holgate for that contest after he was shown a second yellow and then red in the 86th. His first caution was in the 76th.
The Boyz would have been hyped heading into Thursday's encounter on home soil, but quickly had the wind knocked out of their sails when Pepi found the net from a Christian Pulisic through ball to seize an early lead for the United States.
However, the Boyz refused to be cowed and pressed the Americans for an equalizer in what became a fiercely contested match. They had their first real chance to level things in the 12th minute, when Shamar Nicholson powered his way into the box, only to be fouled by United States' goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Demarai Gray stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but Turner rose to the occasion, diving to his right to block Gray’s low shot and keep the United States advantage intact.
Still, the Boyz continued to push forward. In the 36th minute, Kasey Palmer tried his luck from the top of the box, but his shot was comfortably collected by Turner.
Just a minute later, Dexter Lembikisa whipped in a well-placed cross for Nicholson, but his header went well wide of the mark as they continued their search for a breakthrough.
After a slow start to the second half, the Boyz upped the tempo and created multiple close chances in what was their best passage of play. Nicholson had another opportunity in the 63rd minute, but his shot was expertly charged down by Mark McKenzie, who frustrated the Jamaican faithful.
Perhaps Jamaica's best chance came shortly after, in the 65th minute, as Renaldo Cephas sent a teasing cross across the face of the United States goal. Holgate connected but had his shot cleared off the line by Tim Ream.
The resulting corner saw Leon Bailey's curling effort rattle the crossbar, and Damion Lowe’s follow-up was also blocked, drawing loud cheers from the crowd, who wanted a VAR check for a possible penalty.
However, the appeal by both the players on the pitch and their supporters was ignored by Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderon, resulting in murmurs of frustration through the crowd.
The game briefly paused when tensions flared between Bailey and United States defender Antonee Robinson, an incident symbolic of the competitive spirit both sides displayed throughout.
As the minutes ticked away, Jamaica kept pushing, but the United States defence stood firm. Bailey tried once more in the 73rd minute with a shot from inside the box, only to see it blocked by Ream.
A defensive error by Lowe opened the door for the Americans to threaten late on, with Brandon Vazquez finding himself with space and time in the 84th minute, but his attempt went straight to Jamaica’s custodian Andre Blake.
The final blow for the Boyz came in the 86th minute when Holgate received his second yellow card after a foul on Vazquez, reducing Steve McClaren's side to 10 men and dimming their chances for a late comeback.
Despite the narrow defeat, Jamaica will head into the second leg with hopes of overturning the deficit but will need to be much sharper and more clinical if they hope to progress to the semifinals, as getting by the United States in their backyard will by no means be easy.
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