Newcastle United

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta brought out an ancient excuse that we haven’t heard in 15 years for why his players couldn’t hit the target in their 2-0 loss to Newcastle on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup.

Arteta said the game balls were different.

The last time someone tried to blame the ball for their team’s failures was the 2010 World Cup with the infamous Jabulani ball. Arsenal’s boss now claims there are key differences between the Carabao Cup balls and Premier League balls.

Mikel Arteta Carabao Cup ball complaint

LONDON — Alexander Isak scored his 50th goal for Newcastle United as Eddie Howe's side took a huge step towards the League Cup final with a 2-0 victory at Arsenal on Tuesday.

Isak struck shortly before halftime in the first leg of the semi-final at a chilly Emirates Stadium and then had a big role in Newcastle's second scored by Anthony Gordon after the break.

Arsenal were left to rue their failure to convert several good chances with Gabriel Martinelli denied by the woodwork in the first half and Kai Havertz missing a golden opportunity.

The A-League All Stars vs Newcastle game was a massive waste of time as the Premier League side fielded a team of youngsters that got annihilated 8-0.

Despite the Premier League season finishing literally a week ago, Newcastle are already doing a world tour with their first stop in Australia. On Wednesday the team’s usual starters played Tottenham to a 1-1 draw in Melbourne.

Drawing defending champions Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals was the last thing Eddie Howe wanted to hear as the Newcastle United manager prepares to face last year's treble winners for a fourth time this season.

Newcastle, who last won the trophy in 1955, will visit City on March 16 for the knockout fixture.

"I was driving at the time and I almost swerved off the road! It wasn't the draw we wanted, that's for sure," Howe told reporters on Friday.

NEWCASTLE — Newcastle United fought back from two goals down in a rollercoaster 4-4 draw against Luton Town, who stayed just outside the Premier League drop zone, at St James' Park on Saturday.

Newcastle vs Luton highlights

Newcastle looked set for a comfortable home win when Sean Longstaff put them ahead after seven minutes but Luton, who thrashed Brighton 4-0 on Tuesday, equalized twice to go in 2-2 at the break.

NEWCASTLE — Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne inspired a late comeback 3-2 victory for his side at Newcastle United on Saturday in his first Premier League action since the opening day of the season.

The Belgian midfielder has been missing since August because of a hamstring injury but came off the bench in the 69th minute with City trailing 2-1 to spark a remarkable turnaround.

Bernardo Silva had given City a 26th-minute lead with a sublime back-heeled finish from Kyle Walker's low cross but Pep Guardiola's side were soon rocked back on their heels.

Manchester City will again have to do without their leading scorer Erling Haaland when they face Newcastle United in the Premier League this weekend, but Kevin De Bruyne could make his first start of the season since Aug. 11, Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

Haaland, with 14 league goals in 15 games is joint top scorer in the Premier League alongside Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, but has missed City's last eight games in all competitions with a foot injury.

One unwritten rule of soccer that doesn’t really exist in other sports is the art of players not celebrating if they score a goal against a team they formerly played on.

Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood took that unwritten rule to heart on Boxing Day when netted a hat trick against his former club, Newcastle. 

The New Zealand forward was the hero in Forest’s massive 3-1 victory but hardly celebrated as he followed the unwritten rule of not celebrating after scoring against a former team.

Chris Wood not celebrating vs. Newcastle

LONDON — Chelsea booked their place in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Tuesday, defeating Newcastle United 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Stamford Bridge after substitute Mykhailo Mudryk kept the Blues alive with a 92nd-minute equalizer.

Newcastle had appeared set to snatch a 1-0 win in west London until Kieran Trippier, on as a substitute, failed to cut out a Malo Gusto cross and allowed Mudryk, also on as a sub, to slot home, levelling the tie at 1-1 and taking it to penalties.

Fulham and Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez revolutionized the term “headbutt” on Saturday when he received a red card for attacking Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff with his bum.

The Jiménez red card vs Newcastle is unlike any sending off we’ve ever seen. The Mexican striker carelessly flew in the air to block Longstaff’s pass and ended up clattering into him.

If this was WWE then Jiménez would’ve received a standing ovation, instead he got an early trip to the showers and left Fulham down a man in the 22nd minute.

Jiménez red card vs Newcastle