Jamie Carragher believes reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals mattered more to Everton than it did to Newcastle United, warning that Matthias Jaissle's side could be dragged into a relegation battle.
Newcastle were eliminated from the competition on Thursday evening after a 3-1 defeat at Everton. Goals from James Garner, Hayden Hackney and Thierno Barry cancelled out Dan Burn's first goal of the season for the Magpies.
Prize for the Toffees
The reward for Everton was a quarter-final tie against League Two side Fleetwood Town, which Carragher suggested represented a significant opportunity for cup success that Newcastle missed.
The two teams meet again on Monday, this time in the Premier League at St James' Park. Carragher believes that fixture carries greater weight for a young Newcastle squad he expects to be looking over its shoulder for much of the campaign.
Carragher's Verdict
Speaking on The Overlap Daily, Carragher said: "I was watching it and I felt it was more important for Everton. The reason I say that is that I don't think Everton have got any worries about getting dragged into a relegation fight."
He added: "I think Newcastle will be one of those teams that will be looking over their shoulder for a lot of the season. I know where they are in the league right now. I think they're about eighth or ninth, but I think they're going to be in the bottom half, Newcastle."
Carragher cited the number of young players, a young manager, and significant changes within the squad as reasons for his concern, concluding: "So I think actually the league game on Monday was more important for Newcastle, whereas I think the cup game is more important for Everton."
