English League Cup: Newcastle reached the cup final after defeating Southampton

Newcastle. Saudi-backed ownership has breathed new life into the Newcastle club as the team made a cup final appearance for the first time in a century and are also on course to qualify for the Champions League football tournament this season. Newcastle won 3-1 on aggregate after beating Southampton 2-1 in the English League Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday. Newcastle are expected to face Manchester United in the final on February 26, having consolidated their position with a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in last week’s first leg. The second leg will be played on Wednesday.

Newcastle have made it to the League Cup final for the first time since 1976, while the last time the team played in the final was in 1999 against Manchester United in the FA Cup. The team are currently third in the Premier League table and will make it to the Champions League if they finish the season in the top four. In the FA Cup, Blackburn beat second-tier fellow Birmingham 1–0 in their fourth round tie to book a place in the last 16 where they will face Leicester. The only goal of the match was an own goal by Birmingham defender Auston Trustee.