There were no fist pumps at the final whistle at St Mary's. Newcastle United had just won their biggest game in years yet, aside from the 3,200 Geordies bouncing to 'Who's that team you call United?', it did not necessarily feel like it at full-time. Encouragingly so.
Eddie Howe wants the fans to dream, but players and staff know they still have a job to do to reach the club's first League Cup final since 1976. Yes, Joelinton's goal has given Newcastle a slender advantage in the semi-final, following a 1-0 win against Southampton on Tuesday night, but a huge 90 minutes awaits in the return fixture at St James' Park next week.
It was rather telling, then, that there were no over the top celebrations on the field at full-time or in the away dressing room for that matter. In fact, for the first time since Howe took charge, there was no winning team photograph uploaded after a victory. The message was clear: it was only half-time in this two-legged tie.
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Even in the immediate aftermath of the game, Howe felt there was 'a lot' for Newcastle to do better in the second-leg and the Newcastle boss is certainly not thinking about the prospect of leading his side out at Wembley yet.
"My mind is already on next week and the challenges that we face going into the game and how we can get the players in the best frame of mind to play and to play well," he told reporters. "Any thought of anything else away from the game can wait. It's about the next game and making sure we play well."
Newcastle were not at their very best at St Mary's but, crucially, the Magpies take a lead back to St James' on a night where the visitors could and should have won the game even more convincingly. Joelinton may have had a goal contentiously disallowed in the first half, but the Brazilian had multiple opportunities to break the deadlock before he finally fired his side in front while Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff failed to even hit the target from great positions.
The introduction of both Alexander Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin ultimately proved the difference in the 67th minute. It was Isak who set up what proved to be Joelinton's winner just a few minutes after coming on following a superb turn down the right, which left Duje Caleta-Car for dead. Isak then unselfishly drilled the ball across the box and there was Joelinton to sweep home right in front of the delirious away end.
If Isak's contribution was game-changing, well, Saint-Maximin also played his part in Newcastle closing the tie out after Adam Armstrong had a goal ruled out for handball in the 75th minute. Newcastle took the sting out of the game thereafter and it was Saint-Maximin who was cynically taken out by Caleta-Car late on when the Frenchman ran at Southampton's tired defence. To think Howe wants to further supplement these attacking options with rapid Everton forward Anthony Gordon. Now that would be a scary prospect for tiring opposition defences.
At the back, Newcastle also had the benefit of a towering presence between the sticks. Indeed, before Joelinton broke the deadlock, Nick Pope made two fine saves in the space of just two minutes midway through the second half to deny Che Adams at a time when the Magpies were losing control of the game.
That is now 10 consecutive clean sheets for Pope in all competitions, which is something no Premier League shot-stopper has done in at least a decade. No wonder Southampton boss Nathan Jones hailed Pope as the best in his position in the top-flight while Bruno Guimaraes went one step further and said his team-mate was the best goalkeeper in the world.
Pope had to be at his best against a Southampton side who proved a different proposition to the team hammered 4-1 by Newcastle in the previous meeting at St Mary's just 79 days earlier. Yes, Southampton are bottom of the Premier League, but the Saints had knocked champions Man City out of the Carabao Cup in the quarter-finals, won all of their previous cup ties under Jones and triumphed in three of their last four matches in all competitions before the visit of Newcastle.
Taking Southampton lightly, in their own backyard, would have been foolish so you can see why Howe named an unchanged side - even if it was a quick turnaround following Saturday's goalless draw at Crystal Palace.
Whatever about the team Howe put out, what was going to be crucial was Newcastle's mentality and how the players - many of whom had never played in a semi-final - handled the occasion. Nick Pope urged his side to 'go down there and play football our way'. Kieran Trippier said Newcastle had to show a 'winning mentality' . Bruno Guimaraes called on his team-mates to play the game 'like a final'.
An assured start was an obvious prerequisite and Newcastle quickly had a chance to take control of this tie. Indeed, there were just two minutes on the clock when Miguel Almiron slipped in Joe Willock but the midfielder skied his effort over the bar when he should have at least hit the target.
The same could be said of Willock's second chance in the 34th minute. Kieran Trippier's teasing cross picked Willock out but, again, the 23-year-old failed to make Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu work as he volleyed the ball over the top.
Willock kept going, though, and the Londoner's third effort just a few minutes later was parried by Bazunu. The ball eventually fell to Joelinton, after Mohammed Salisu blocked Callum Wilson's shot, and the Brazilian fired home. However, the goal was contentiously disallowed by referee Stuart Attwell for handball, even though it appeared to hit Joelinton's midriff, and VAR did not feel the need to intervene.
It was a big moment and Newcastle's finishing did not get much better after the break. There were 47 minutes on the clock when Almiron skipped past Salisu down the left before pulling the ball back to Sean Longstaff on the edge of the area, but the midfielder blazed his effort over the bar.
If that was a good chance, well, Joelinton's opportunity just a few minutes later was glorious. Almiron once again got the ball across yet, with the goal gaping, Joelinton managed to put it over the bar.
It felt like one of those nights and the momentum of the game soon shifted as Southampton grew in belief. Nick Pope had little to do in the opening hour, but the Newcastle goalkeeper made two huge saves in the space of just two minutes midway through the second half to deny Che Adams on both occasions. The first was a smart save with his feet when Adams was through one-on-one in the 65th minute while the second was a smart reaction stop down to his left to keep out the striker's shot on the turn.
That was the moment when Howe decided to throw on Allan Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak and the double change soon had the desired effect in the 73rd minute. It was Isak who expertly spun past Caleta-Car down the right before cutting the ball across goal to Joelinton, who just could not miss. Cue bedlam in the away end.
Yet Southampton players' heads did not drop and Adam Armstrong - of all people - thought he had equalised against his former club just two minutes later after the Geordie bundled home from Samuel Edozie's cross. However, the goal was disallowed by VAR for handball. It proved as close as Southampton came to an equaliser and a frustrated Caleta-Car was later sent off at the death as Newcastle moved one step closer to Wembley.
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