Newcastle 4-1 Bradford: League One side no problem for the Carabao Cup holders
Newcastle United began the defence of their Carabao Cup trophy with a convincing 4-1 win over League One leaders Bradford City at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe’s side settled quickly and raced into a two-goal lead within the first 20 minutes. Joelinton opened the scoring in the 17th minute, reacting sharply to a loose ball after Anthony Gordon’s shot had been blocked.
Moments later, William Osula doubled the advantage when he ran onto a perfectly weighted pass from Bruno Guimaraes before finishing past goalkeeper Sam Walker.
Bradford struggled to cope with Newcastle’s intensity, though they limited the damage until the final quarter of an hour.
Joelinton scored his second of the night to make it 3-0 with a strike from close range before Andy Cook offered the visitors brief consolation. After the ball accidentally dropped to him in the box he just turned and almost nonchalantly sent a powerful effort in off the crossbar.
But Newcastle were determined to pile on the misery. First Harvey Barnes curled a shot narrowly wide before Osula scored again, this time appearing at the far post to turn home Barnes’ cross and secure the Magpies’ place in the fourth round.
With this tie behind him, Howe will now turn his attention to Arsenal’s visit to St James’ Park on Sunday.
