Bruno Guimaraes has likened the upcoming Carabao Cup final to "the World Cup" for Newcastle, following his decisive goal against West Ham on Monday night in the Premier League. The Brazilian's 63rd-minute strike, set up by Harvey Barnes, was enough to see off the Hammers at the London Stadium. Eddie Howe's Magpies will now face the formidable Liverpool in the cup final on Sunday, aiming to end a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy.
Skipper Guimaraes expressed his confidence, saying: "I believe that we can win. In a final everything can happen. I believe our fans can make the difference for us. For us it is like the World Cup. We want to make history for this club. It is a long time for the fans without a trophy. (Alexander) Isak at the moment is the best striker in the world. Our midfield has been our strength. When we play like that we show the character of the team. We can beat any team in the world."
Reacting to Guimaraes' remarks, manager Eddie Howe acknowledged the gravity of the occasion: "It is a massive, massive game for us. I can't build it up any more than Bruno so I won't try. But we know the importance of the game.
"As long as we attack the game in the same way as we did tonight, I will take the result. Bruno always stands up in big moments. He found a way to win the game for us.
"We needed this win to give ourselves belief. You only get true belief from winning. And we did it today. We defended as a team. And we defended with heart. One of our best wins of the season, not in terms of performance but desire and heart."
West Ham defender Max Kilman insisted he was "100 per cent" fouled in the lead-up to the goal, claiming he was shoved by Isak. "I jumped in the air and I felt a hard push," he explained. "I felt like it was a foul and I felt like it should have been given."
Hammers boss Graham Potter echoed Kilman's sentiments, saying: "We think it is clear - it is two hands on the back of the defender. It is a push. That's life - we have to get on with it. I didn't think we deserved to win the game. But I thought we did enough to maybe get something out of the game."
Although Potter didn't think his team warranted a win, he believed they did enough to potentially snatch a result.