Forest dump Newcastle out of Carabao Cup as poor start continues
Posted Thursday, August 30, 2018 by PA
Newcastle’s poor start to the season continued as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Nottingham Forest in a dramatic finale at the City Ground.
Rafael Benitez’s side arrived on the banks of the River Trent after taking just one point from their first three Premier League matches, with Wednesday night’s clash against Sky bet Championship opposition seen as a good opportunity to gain that elusive first win of the campaign.
However, Newcastle never got going and were outplayed by their hosts, who progressed to the third round with a 3-1 victory.
Former Magpie Daryl Murphy gave Forest an early lead, which the hosts held until Salomon Rondon equalised in injury time. However, Matt Cash quickly restored the Reds’ advantage and Bastiao Gil Dias added a third goal.
Benitez, who made seven changes from the side that lost to Chelsea, saw his team start the match sluggishly. Gil Dias had already worked Karl Darlow before Murphy headed the hosts in front after just two minutes from a Sam Byram cross.
Newcastle were all over the place defensively as Forest smelled blood and a quick second goal. However, the Premier League side survived any further damage and should have equalised after eight minutes but Joselu got his header from a Jamie Sterry cross all wrong.
The visitors found their feet and were beginning to settle and worked another opportunity in the 13th minute as Ki Sung-yeung sent a low shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area.
Newcastle continued to put the hosts under pressure but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third. They nearly equalised after 36 minutes when Joselu helped on a Christian Atsu corner to the far post where Yoshinori Muto and Federico Fernandez were inches away from turning the ball into the net.
Forest should have doubled their lead at the start of the second half. Darlow pushed out a shot from Dias and Murphy reacted quickest to the loose ball. He went around the goalkeeper and looked certain to score but a last-ditch challenge from Fernandez kept Newcastle in the tie.
Newcastle looked bereft of ideas and it was a surprise that Benitez waited until the midway point of the second half to make any changes, when Ayoze Perez was introduced. Jacob Murphy then came on after 77 minutes with Rondon following five minutes later.
But it was Forest who still looked the most likely to score and Dias curled an effort just wide with Darlow beaten.
It looked like Murphy’s goal would be enough for Forest but in the second of six added minutes, Rondon fired a shot across Luke Steele to seemingly force a penalty shoot out.
Cash had other thoughts, though, and put Forest back in front with a crisp, low strike.
Newcastle were denied a penalty when Steele charged into Perez but referee Jeremy Simpson was unmoved and Gil Dias compounded the decision by chipping Darlow for Forest’s third.
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