The Magpies take control of the Carabao Cup semi-final match as Alexander Isak scores once more.

In a thrilling first leg at the Emirates Stadium, Newcastle took control of their Carabao Cup semi-final matchup against Arsenal thanks to an outstanding performance from Alexander Isak.

For extended stretches of the match, Arsenal hammered the Newcastle goal, but they squandered a string of opportunities, primarily set pieces, with only three of their twenty-three attempts going on goal.

In contrast, Newcastle was merciless, and Isak opened the score with a long pass in the first half, netting his 10th goal in nine games as he took advantage of a hapless Arsenal defence.

Soon after halftime, the Sweden international played a significant role in Newcastle's second goal as well. He exchanged passes with Jacob Murphy before launching a diagonal shot towards goal that David Raya could only deflect into the path of Anthony Gordon, who was running.

Due to suspensions, Newcastle had not defeated Arsenal on the road since November 2010. Despite missing important players Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar, the team fought valiantly to maintain their two-goal lead while the home team continued to struggle in front of goal.

The hosts missed a number of dead-ball opportunities and Gabriel Martinelli hit the post from a one-on-one chance in the first half, so Kai Havertz, who was chosen to start up front ahead of the in-form Gabriel Jesus, missed their best opportunity, sending a free header wide from close range.

After the two-goal loss, Arsenal is now six points behind Liverpool in the Premier League and faces a formidable challenge in the second leg on Wednesday, February 5 at St. James' Park. Newcastle, meanwhile, has extended their winning streak to seven games in all competitions and is still hoping to break their 55-year trophy drought.

The first leg of the other semi-final between Tottenham and Liverpool is scheduled for Wednesday night.

Arteta regrets wastefulness yet maintains his faith
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal:

"Being clinical in the game made the biggest difference. We were the superior squad in every other way. They scored two goals, and they deserve praise for winning the match in this manner.

"It is always difficult when we miss opportunities and give up a goal, but the squad responded. They did a great job defending the box, even though we created a number of scenarios.

"With our choices, we can perform better. We faced the goalie one-on-one, and you have to be clinical in the semi-final.

He stated: "I have seen the goal and it is something they do - they create the chaos, and it gets to the wrong player and Isak puts it away."

"We have to be disappointed because it's another result that we wanted, but that's the reality," he continued on the second leg. I firmly believe. I think we can succeed because I've watched my squad play against them.

Howe: A significant advancement, but the tie remains intact Newcastle manager Eddie Howe:

"The game was incredibly engaging. We got off to a strong start and made an effort to be ourselves and take the game to them, which we believed was crucial.

"Then we were tired because the players had put in a lot of effort in the last games. The next step was to defend our mentality, which we accomplished quite successfully.

"We are aware of the stakes. The athletes set aside their weariness and risked their lives. At halftime, we had a few injury issues that we were attempting to control during play.

"Sven (Botman) felt his groin, Joe Willock took a hard knock, and Alex (Isak) felt a little stiff in his hamstring. I tried to stay strong in the game by making the replacements because we were faltering a little bit in the second half.

"This is a difficult terrain, and we have experienced hardships here before. Considering our recent run away from home, today represents yet another significant advancement. We're playing with faith and confidence, which is helpful when you're defending in the final seconds. The tie is still very much in play and perfectly balanced. We have a challenging home leg ahead of us.

"We know in the second leg we have our supporters with us which is going to be hugely important but we're still going to need to do everything right to get through this tie."