Newcastle 2-1 Southampton (agg 3-1): Longstaff nets double as 10-man hosts book place at Wembley

What started as a stroll towards Wembley ended with nerves frayed. It wouldn’t be a cup semi-final without some of that. And it certainly wouldn’t be Newcastle.

Two goals up in a little over 20 minutes after Sean Longstaff, a Geordie, scored his first home goals for four years, Newcastle’s progression to their first cup final since 1999 seemed secure.

Eddie Howe’s team were three goals up in the tie against a Southampton side who didn’t necessarily look overawed by the challenge, just nowhere near good enough. Not just for this but also for the Premier League.

Sean Longstaff scored a quickfire double as Newcastle booked their place at Wembley

But when you haven’t achieved something like this for so very long, things can grow complicated very quickly and almost without you noticing. So when Che Adams scored from nowhere for Southampton after half an hour, Newcastle suddenly had something to think about. And the more they thought about it, the more it seemed to prey on their minds that maybe this game was not quite done after all.

Saints were never quite good enough to present Newcastle with more than a mild threat. But had Adam Armstrong done better when played clear in the 72nd minute then this game and this tie would have been very much alive.

Then, not long after that, Newcastle’s Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes was sent off for a studs first tackle on Samuel Edozie. That was a blow but more dangerous was the presentation of a free-kick chance to Southampton specialist James Ward-Prowse. Indeed when Newcastle forward Alexander Isak jumped to block the shot with his face, the cheer from the Gallowgate was not quite the loudest of the night but was pretty close.

The midfielder gave the hosts the perfect start with a fine strike in the fifth minute

Longstaff had scored one goal this season before this game. Within 21 minutes here, he had doubled that tally and Newcastle were pretty much in the final.

Newcastle played like a team desperate to reach Wembley. Southampton, on the other hand, were just desperate. They were 2-1 down at half-time and were lucky with it. Newcastle’s plan was clear. Get on the front foot and when Southampton had the ball, press them as early and as high up the pitch as possible.

Southampton? It was harder to say. Their manager Nathan Jones clearly wants them to play football but here they tried to do it in all the wrong areas. Their attempts to play through the Newcastle press were suicidal at times and brought them only trouble. By the time Longstaff scored his second at the Gallowgate end, Newcastle could have been four goals up.

Longstaff doubled Newcastle’s advantage in 21st minute with a clinical finish

Their first move of real penetration brought them the opening goal in the fifth minute. Newcastle worked the ball down the left and then across the pitch to where Longstaff was able to feed Kieran Trippier, who had advanced from right back.

The England player eased inside Kyle Walker-Peters and when he laid the ball back into Longstaff’s path, he was able to beat Gavin Bazunu with a low shot that took a marginal flick off Jan Bednarek on its way in.

Longstaff could have scored again in the eighth minute, pulling his shot wide after Guimaraes set him up. Then on the other flank Joelinton ran away from the Brazilian Lyanco to deliver a shot that was blocked by Bednarek. And all this before the 15-minute mark.

Che Adams reduced the deficit to end Nick Pope’s run of 10 successive clean sheets

Newcastle’s threat eventually began to recede a little, but not before Longstaff scored again. There were similarities to the first goal as Newcastle built neatly from deep and Longstaff was allowed to drift unmarked into the penalty area to side-foot in after Miguel Almiron squared to him.

Southampton had offered absolutely no threat at all. So, when Adams drove a low shot across Nick Pope and into the goalkeeper’s left-hand corner from 25 yards on the half-hour mark, it was the biggest of surprises. From nowhere, Saints were suddenly in a position to make life difficult for their opponents. One more goal and hearts would start to beat a little faster among the home supporters. For the next half an hour, though, there was no sign of one. Newcastle had none of the easy and threatening dominance they had enjoyed early in game. Nor, though, were they under pressure. As a result they were able to mark time as a place in the final edged quietly closer.

The onus was on Jones’s team to find a way through, though, and with 25 minutes of the game remaining, Southampton had managed two shots on target and one had gone in.

Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes was sent off late on for horror tackle on Samuel Edozie

Finally they did produce a threat as substitute Romeo Lavia played Armstrong through the middle with a lovely ball. Armstrong should have scored to set up a great finish to the game but his first touch was marginally heavy and when he tried to lift the ball over Pope the goalkeeper saved with his right leg.

That served to rouse Newcastle a bit. Soon after Longstaff was bringing a flying save from Bazunu with a volley from distance, then Guimaraes hit the outside of the post from similar range.

A minute or two later Guimaraes was off, his yellow card for a late challenge on Edozie upgraded to red after a look at the monitor by referee Paul Tierney. That was a blow to Newcastle but at least Ward-Prowse was not able to convert the free-kick.

Southampton’s first team coach Alan Sheehan (R) was shown a red card at half-time