“Arsenal couldn’t live with the intensity” - Alan Shearer expresses delight with Newcastle win as he aims cheeky dig at Gunners hero Ian Wright

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer expressed his delight after their win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday. He also added in a cheeky dig towards Gunners legend Ian Wright.

The Magpies hosted the north London side at St. James' Park in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday. They led the tie 2-0 after the first leg at the Emirates and doubled their lead with an emphatic 2-0 win at home. Jacob Murphy (20') and Anthony Gordon (52') secured Newcastle's place in the final.

After their win, the Magpies legend Alan Shearer wrote on his X account:

"That was a proper performance man. Arsenal couldn’t live with the intensity. Better than them tonight in every position."

Shearer also put up another tweet, taking a dig at Arsenal legend Ian Wright which read:

"Hey @IanWright0, talk to me about our boy Isak against your 2 centre backs!!!"

Alexander Isak had put the ball in the net in the fourth minute on Wednesday but it was chalked off due to offside. Martin Odegaard had a glorious chance to reduce the Gunners' deficit in the 18th minute but he missed the chance. Newcastle then scored right after that, with Jacob Murphy making it 1-0.

Anthony Gordon then capitalized on a mistake from David Raya in the 52nd minute to make it 2-0 on the night. Newcastle have reached the Carabao Cup final for the second time in three years, having lost to Manchester United in the 2022-23 season.

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Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's defensive display in defeat against Newcastle

The Gunners looked shell-shocked against Newcastle at St. James' Park on Wednesday, which led to a few errors. William Saliba and David Raya were at fault for both goals scored by the Magpies. The Frenchman was also caught in possession in the second half but Anthony Gordon failed to score.

Newcastle had 10 attempts on goal, with three being on target, while Arsenal had 11 attempts, with three on target. After the game, Mikel Arteta said about his side's defensive display (via Arsenal.com):

"The errors are part of football. We’ve been super consistent, we’ve been really composed and today we gave them hope just by putting the ball to the last line. When we did that, we always looked vulnerable because we allowed them to run from the situation and they are a really dangerous team when they are able to do that, but certainly they don’t want to do that, so what can I say."

Newcastle will face either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. Next up, they will face Birmingham City away in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Saturday, February 8.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will return to action against Leicester City away in the Premier League on February 15.