Carabao Cup holders Newcastle United marched into the quarter-finals with a comfortable 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur under the lights at St James’ Park, a performance full of control, structure and just enough ruthlessness to remind everyone why this competition feels like our competition.
Fabian Schär’s thumping first-half header and Nick Woltemade’s instinctive finish early in the second half sealed progression for Eddie Howe’s side, who are now unbeaten in 18 of their last 19 Carabao Cup games under his management. It was, once again, a case of taking care of business, even if some individual performances were far from flattering.
Howe-ball, cup edition
It’s remarkable how Newcastle just get it in this competition. Same manager, rotating cast, same outcome: a controlled, composed, professional job. Howe rotated intelligently but not recklessly, with Ramsdale, Willock, Krafth and Elanga among those given starts.
And from the off, Newcastle looked sharper. The opener came in the 24th minute when Tonali’s pinpoint corner was met by Schär, who powered home a header while Spurs were still busy complaining about Djed Spence tying his laces by the corner flag. Thomas Frank ranted on the touchline that the referee should have waited, but if your full-back’s still sorting out his footwear while the opposition are celebrating, that’s on you.
Tottenham’s frustration summed up their evening, disjointed, passive, and reliant on half-moments from Xavi Simons and Richarlison that never truly threatened Ramsdale’s clean sheet.
Woltemade keeps delivering
The second goal arrived just five minutes into the second half, and it was another composed finish from the man who’s fast becoming the poster boy for Newcastle’s forward line: Nick Woltemade.
When Joe Willock swung in a teasing cross from the right, Spurs’ stand-in keeper Antonín Kinský completely misjudged the flight, leaving Woltemade with a simple header into an empty net. It was his sixth goal in nine starts, all with the minimum of fuss and maximum efficiency — one shot, one goal, one striker doing precisely what his predecessor used to make look impossible.
Woltemade’s all-round play again impressed: clever link-up, delicate flicks, and calm hold-up play that brought others into the game. He’s now scored four times at St James’ Park already and looks as comfortable under these lights as any striker Howe has signed.
The Elanga problem
And then there’s Anthony Elanga. What to do about Anthony Elanga.
If this was meant to be his night to prove his worth, to stake a claim and finally justify the faith Howe has shown in him; he failed miserably.
For 88 painful minutes, Elanga offered nothing: no urgency, no drive, no conviction. He lost possession fourteen times, failed to register a shot, and didn’t complete a single successful dribble despite multiple one-on-one chances against Spence. Every time Newcastle broke forward, the move died at his feet.
This isn’t a snap judgement after one bad night. This is a culmination of a truly dreadful start to his Newcastle United career. Howe has pursued Elanga for years. A £45 million bid in the summer of 2024 was rejected before Newcastle finally landed him for £55 million this summer, at a time when other, more productive right-wingers like Bryan Mbeumo and Mohamed Kudus were on the move for comparable fees – though it does seem as though Mbuemo was our primary target.
Elanga was meant to be the solution to Newcastle’s long-term right-wing problem. Instead, it’s the man he was supposed to replace – Jacob Murphy – who continues to look like the more reliable, tactically intelligent option.
Yes, there’s the standard caveat: time to bed in, build fitness, learn patterns of play. Fans have pointed to Anthony Gordon’s slow start as proof that patience can pay off. But Gordon arrived mid-season, openly admitted his fitness wasn’t up to scratch, and still turned things around when he had a full preseason. Elanga doesn’t have that excuse as he essentially had a full pre-season, along with sufficient time with his teammates to be performing much better than he is currently.
For £55 million, as a winger with Premier League experience, the exact profile Howe has always said he prefers as they can “hit the ground running”. Yet Elanga has done anything but. The longer this season goes on, the more he looks like a costly misjudgement, especially when the club’s two best summer signings, Woltemade and Thiaw, came from outside the league.
He was finally withdrawn in the 89th minute to polite applause that sounded more like relief than appreciation.
Schär shows his class
Schär’s return, however, was a reminder of why Howe continues to trust experience when it matters. Calm in possession, aerially dominant, and still capable of popping up with big moments, he was faultless. While we have been crying out for squad depth, Schär feels like the unfair victim of our increased depth in defence, as Thiaw has been immense since coming in for Schär following his, somewhat ironic, concussion a few months ago. This is made a tad more galling when one considers that Burn continues to cos-play as a left-back while Schär sits on the bench. However, putting that aside, the veteran came into the side and was a consummate professional, classy on the ball, getting his goal was a steadying presence throughout.
That header marked Schär’s first start since September and capped a polished display. Even at 33, he arguably remains Newcastle’s most complete defender.
The clean-sheet kings
Make it eight clean sheets in 14 matches across all competitions. No Botman? No problem. Howe’s defensive structure is so well-drilled that personnel barely seem to matter. Ramsdale, making only his second start since joining, was flawless, six saves from six shots on target, including a brilliant low stop to deny Pape Matar Sarr.
Krafth did his job before being replaced by Trippier, Burn was rarely got at, and the midfield trio of Tonali, Willock and Ramsey dictated tempo throughout, though the drop off from our starting midfield remains a cause for concern against stiffer opposition.
Howe’s reaction
“Everyone played with the right spirit and determination, it was a hard-fought win,” Howe said.
“There was no great message from me before the game, but they’ll have known they needed to take their chance, and they didn’t let me down.”
Verdict
Newcastle are built for this competition. They’ve not trailed in a single Carabao Cup game since the 2023 final defeat to Manchester United and now advance to the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive season.
Woltemade keeps scoring, Schär keeps delivering, and Howe’s men keep marching on. Recent form is also on an upward trajectory, as Newcastle United have now won 6 of our last 8 games in all competitions. Performances in the cups and in Europe have given us fans plenty to cheer about, results in the league are moving in the right direction, and if Howe can get better performances out of the lads in the league, we could well be turning a corner and looking forward to a really good season.
Only one question remains: how much longer can Howe keep defending the £55 million flop?
Player ratings
Ramsdale – 7
Solid, switched on, did everything asked.
Krafth – 6.5
Fine defensively, nothing going forward.
Schär – 7
Leader’s performance, great header. Steady presence from the veteran.
Thiaw – 7.5
Solid defensive performance matched with elegance on the ball. Getting better and better.
Burn – 6
Did the basics, steady enough. Rarely got at.
Tonali – 7.5
Showed greater leadership in the engine-room. Tireless effort from start to finish.
Ramsey – 6.5
Busy but had had limited impact.
Willock – 6
Frustrating. Industrious, but almost always takes the safe option.
Elanga – 3
Abject performance. Getting fed up with discussing him now.
Woltemade – 7.5
Already looks a bargain. Got his goal. Linked play well.
Barnes – 6.5
Lively, but wasteful.
Subs:
Trippier 6 – routine.
Joelinton 6 – physical.
Osula 6.5 – lively cameo.
Bruno 6 – tidy.
Gordon N/A. Not on long enough to be rated
Howe – 7
Rotation worked well, fringe players getting key minutes, a controlled performance. Might be turning a corner.
