Newcastle United carried their Premier League form into the Carabao Cup and defeated Brentford 3-1 at St. James' Park to advance to the semi-finals.
It was an impressive performance from Eddie Howe's men, one of guts and gusto and togetherness. The Bees are no joke; they pack a stinging punch. However, Thomas Frank could only watch as his side were outplayed on Tyneside.
And now. Newcastle are still enveloped by the darkness of the tunnel but at least that light now feels reachable. There's an anxious wait to see who shall be faced at the penultimate hurdle, but the Magpies will fear no opponent.
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Especially with certain things starting to come together. Newcastle's frontline looks slicker, and the overall squad synergy more fluent still. Sandro Tonali was at the heart of the performance and finally re-announced himself after a year laden with struggle.
Sandro Tonali's dominant display
It's been a rocky road for the expensive midfielder since he joined Newcastle in a deal worth £55m in July 2023, having looked patchy throughout the opening months of last season before being hit with a lengthy suspension for betting breaches that ended his maiden campaign in October. He did not return until the start of the current term.
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Now, though, the £120k-per-week midfielder is beginning to showcase the quality that shrewd observers have known was latent within all this time.
Against Brentford in the Carabao Cup, Tonali opened his account on his 17th appearance of the campaign, but did so in style and performed exceptionally even without the goals, suggesting that he might be the extra part needed in the engine room.
Tonali, 24, placed a confident assist in the previous round as Newcastle knocked out Chelsea, but it was the all-consuming midfield effort against Brentford that stands as his defining opus in black and white so far.
Two wonderful goals at opposite ends of the first half put the hosts in a commanding position, with correspondent Luke Edwards describing the Italian as "the best player on the pitch by some distance."
Tonali's elegance and flowing ball-playing ability make him seem like a dainty maestro at times, but he's actually an impressive all-action player, with crunching challenges and tireless ground covering two core facets of his skillset.
Sandro Tonali: Performance vs Brentford (Carabao Cup)
Match Stats
Minutes played
Goals
Touches
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Key passes
Dribbles (completed)
Tackles
Ground duels (won)
Stats via Sofascore
His goals were nice and all, but Tonali ensured that United got the better of their adversaries in exchanges across the pitch by winning four tackles and six ground duels. His passing was crisp, and he chose correctly when progressing the ball forward once into the danger area.
However, he wasn't the only Toon star to excel. Indeed, you could say that Anthony Gordon deserves just as much credit, perhaps playing a role that facilitated the Italy international's triumphant evening.
How Anthony Gordon made Tonali unplayable
This season, Gordon hasn't returned to the platform that saw him claim Newcastle's 2023/24 Player of the Year honour, but he has certainly demonstrated flashes of brilliance and indeed offered plenty against Brentford on Wednesday evening.
Anthony Gordon in action vs Brentford
If you hark back to Tonali's strike before the break, you'll note that it was Gordon's delightful delivery that put the plan in motion, taking Newcastle one step closer to that elusive glory named silverware.
It would be a saving grace for a season that has stuttered, with the stratospheric gains made two seasons back now slowing to something stunted and frustrating. Players such as Gordon will have their sights set on Champions League nights, but this competition presents something to target concertedly.
Tonali was the star of the show, the spotlight stealer after his emphatic brace, but Gordon was brilliant too. As per the Chronicle Live's Lee Ryder, the England ace was deserving of a 9/10 match rating, noting that he 'threatened throughout the evening and weighed in with a fine assist for Tonali's second with a fine corner delivery.'
They simply couldn't contain the Newcastle players when they got going when they pushed as one hive-minded force. Gordon was withdrawn after 77 minutes having run himself into the ground.
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon-1
He might have narrowly missed his two shots on the night, failed to complete either of his energetic dribbles, ceded possession 12 times, as per Sofascore, but such factors are immaterial when taking in the impact that the 23-year-old forced onto the affair.
Gordon also looked far happier in his natural left-wing role, having been shuffled about the pack to accommodate various needs this season. With Lewis Hall behind him, there's a first-class partnership in the making that needs time to develop. It might be to Harvey Barnes' detriment, but it's a sure-fire way to bring Newcastle's cohesion up a level or two.
Newcastle have an assortment of high-quality players, but Howe's system was at its apex when the club performed as one, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe-1
Now we see. We see a Newcastle team that has found the thread of togetherness and is wrapping itself together once again. With Tonali pulling strings alongside Bruno Guimaraes, Gordon bringing electric-paced relief down the flank and Alexander Isak feasting upon the mightiest of defenders at the front, anything can be achieved.
Now we wait. We wait for a draw that might turn out Liverpool, Arsenal or one of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. These are daunting teams, to be sure, but Howe knows and Newcastle knows that on their a-game, the Magpies can best all three.
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