Newcastle United sauntered through to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup for the second time in three seasons after a deserved 3-1 victory over a much-changed Brentford.
Thomas Frank clearly wasn't taking the competition as seriously as Eddie Howe, but you can only beat what's put in front of you and the Magpies did that quite handily indeed.
Sandro Tonali was the star of the show from his new deep-lying midfield position, scoring a wonderful first-half brace that completely destroyed the visitors' game plan.
Fabian Schär added the third to seal it after unselfish play from a just-about-onside Bruno Guimarães, with Yoane Wissa's late consolation the only dampener on a cracking evening.
All-in-all, the vast majority of those in black and white did themselves proud on a big night for the club, though one player in particular really struggled up against his opposite number.
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Serena Taylor/Newcastle United
Put your hand up if you're absolutely class now that you're being played in your best position
The Good
How good is it to see Sandro Tonali contributing so much at the moment? After his long suspension, we were hoping he'd repay the club's faith in him this season and he's starting to do so in his new role as the deepest of the three central midfielders. Both of his finishes were top class and he orchestrated much of our play, while also being alert defensively.
Lewis Hall seems to be growing by the game, too, with the young left-back putting in another sterling display both on and off the ball. He's beginning to build up a better understanding with Anthony Gordon as time goes by, with his winger paying far more attention to his overlapping runs of late.
Fabian Schär and Dan Burn were again excellent in the heart of the defence and didn't deserve to concede the stoppage time goal. Schär scored again, defended solidly enough, and passed it better than he has for a while. Burn was a man mountain for the most part, a few missed headers aside.
Further upfield, Anthony Gordon was the pick of the attacking trio with another 2023/24-esque performance. He was full of running and never stopped harrying the opponents, which meant they never really had comfortable possession. He probably should have scored at least one, mind.
Eddie Howe has led Newcastle United to a second semi-final in just three seasons at the helm after we've all waited for so long for serious progression in the cups. He deserves immense credit for that and for seemingly turning the corner this season. If we can go to Ipswich and win, we'll be right back on track.
After winning the toss (huzzah!), Bruno Guimarães set about keeping his dream of captaining the Magpies in a cup final alive. He was pretty decent overall, though not at his sparkling best, and got a very unselfish assist for the third goal when squaring the ball to Schär in the box.
Martin Dúbravka looked to have earned himself a second clean sheet in succession when denying Wissa one-on-one late in the match though was sadly beaten by the same player just minutes later. He had no chance on that effort, sadly, but he'd largely had a good game to that point.
Of the substitutes, Joe Willock and Kieran Trippier most caught the eye. Willock dovetails very nicely with Hall and Gordon when he plays on the left of the midfield three and probably could have scored, while Trippier looked back to his old self with a sharp and assured display.
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Serena Taylor/Newcastle United
Do a jumping fist pump if you're absolutely class now that you're being played in your best position
The Bad
Will Osula gave the ball away cheaply to allow Brentford to break for the consolation goal and still looks miles away from being able to be relied upon to us. His only sight of goal saw him take a poor touch when running clear to allow the defender to make a recovery tackle.
At the back, Tino Livramento endured a tough evening up against Keane Lewis-Potter. It's not often that Tino loses his individual battle, but Lewis-Potter had him on toast multiple times. On the positive side, he did pass it well and was involved in the build-up to our first goal.
They made a fair few changes from their usual eleven, but Brentford were a hard watch at St James'. They kept time-wasting even at 2-0 down, with their only route to goal seemingly being a long punt upfield.
Sam Barrott isn't a name we've heard too often, but we wouldn't want him officiating our games more than once a season. His eagerness to dish out cards means that both Schär and Guimarães will now miss the first leg of the semi-final, which is hardly ideal.
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Serena Taylor/Newcastle United
Look like you're doing a dance if you're absolutely class now that you're being played in your best position
The Average
Joelinton seemed to spend the entirety of the first half getting injured and was unsurprisingly brought off at the interval. He's struggling to find his best form this season, but perhaps that bit of rest is just what the doctor ordered.
We weren't expecting much from Jacob Murphy tonight after his heroics at the weekend and we didn't get much. He flashed a left-footed shot wide in the second half after hitting the post in the first but offered next to nothing otherwise.
Alexander Isak had one of his quieter games in recent times with just 22 touches of the ball. He barely had a sniff of goal, either, and seemed quite subdued in terms of his pressing. Happily, he was afforded some rest, however, which means he should be good to go again against Ipswich.
Finally, Miguel Almirón and Harvey Barnes were both decent without being anything to write home about when joining the fray after half-time. They both looked sharp and got plenty of the ball, with Barnes smashing one low drive off the inside of the post.
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Serena Taylor/Newcastle United
Look like you're ready to deck someone if you're absolutely class now that you're being played in your best position
The Breakdown
Here are all of our ratings on another special night at St James' Park:
The XI
Martin Dúbravka – 7
Tino Livramento – 4
Fabian Schär – 8
Dan Burn – 8
Lewis Hall – 8 (off 77')
Bruno Guimarães (c) – 7
Sandro Tonali – 9 ⭐️
Joelinton – 6 (off 46')
Jacob Murphy – 6 (off 65')
Alexander Isak – 6 (off 77')
Anthony Gordon – 8 (off 77')
The Subs
Joe Willock – 7 (on 46')
Harvey Barnes – 6 (on 65')
Will Osula – 4 (on 77')
Kieran Trippier – 7 (on 77')
Miguel Almirón – 6 (on 77')
The Gaffer
Eddie Howe – 8
The Opposition
Brentford – 4
The Ref
Sam Barrott – 5
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Getty Images
Games against Ipswich always conjure up happy memories of Sir Bobby Robson; what a bloke
The Next
We're heading to Portman Road to play Ipswich Town on Saturday for another 'old-fashioned' 3 p.m. kick-off.
We quite like Ipswich as a club, but this is a game we really need to be winning to keep the momentum going.
Howay the lads!