Newcastle United's Carabao Cup quarter-final hopes ended in a 3-1 defeat at Everton, with the travelling support of 7,732 making their feelings clear at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The tie was effectively over by half-time as Newcastle's defending unravelled on Merseyside, and while a penalty shout was waved away before the second goal, the lack of fight from the visitors proved more troubling.
Just days after a strong win at Crystal Palace, Newcastle missed the chance to face League Two side Fleetwood for a place in the semi-finals. By the time the players reached the away end, most fans had already headed back to Tyneside or into Liverpool city centre.
Fans voice frustration as Jaissle faces questions
Joelinton and several team-mates threw shirts into the crowd for those who remained, but such scenes are becoming familiar for Newcastle. Head coach Matthias Jaissle faces fresh questions over his selection, with the most telling sign being the roar that greeted 18-year-old Sean Steur, who fans believe has slipped down the pecking order.
Dan Burn's goal raised a cheer, but by then the game was effectively over and Everton had eased off. The first real threat came in the 11th minute when Harvey Barnes forced a save from Jordan Pickford after Nico Gonzalez's pass, though the resulting corner came to nothing. Four minutes later Barnes drove in from the left, but Everton stood firm despite chances for Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey.
Everton take control before the break
Barnes remained the danger man, setting up Willock for another Pickford save on 17 minutes, with Gonzalez also denied soon after. Everton grew into the game, and on 24 minutes Hayden Hackney thought he would score but Lukas Hornicek recovered well. Ten minutes later the home side took the lead when Hackney slipped in James Garner, who curled past Hornicek.
Everton doubled their advantage after Barnes was upended by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Referee Farai Hallam waved away the protests and played on, allowing Thierno Barry to set up Hackney for a second. Newcastle's defence went missing, and Hackney later roamed into the box to score an easy third.
Second-half response falls short
Jaissle made changes at the break, replacing Ramsey, Osula and Barnes with Joelinton, Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa. A tame Wissa header and a deflected Dedic shot earned a corner, but the fightback faded. Everton sealed the game with 21 minutes left when Dewsbury-Hall crossed for an unmarked Barry to beat Hornicek.
Newcastle again stopped after failing to win a free-kick, with Joelinton the culprit, as Garner ran freely to set up the goal. Some fans left early while others watched in stunned silence, with the defeat drawing comparisons to the Coventry and Leeds losses, though this felt worse given the chance to reach another semi-final was within reach.
Wissa directed a shot closer to the corner flag than the target, drawing ironic cheers from Everton fans. Burn headed home from Willock's cross to reduce the deficit, sparking a melee in the net as Pickford delayed releasing the ball. Burn, Joelinton, Pickford and Tarkowski were booked. It was too little, too late, as most of the travelling support had already left.
Referee: Farai Hallam (Rugby). Attendance: 51,894.
