Overview
- Newcastle beat West Brom 3-2 at St James' Park on Wednesday, with substitute Harvey Barnes scoring twice after coming on at half-time to clinch progression to the third round.
- Manager Matthias Jaissle praised Barnes for his all-round work and publicly presented new signing Nico Gonzalez before kick-off, calling the midfielder a perfect fit for the squad.
- Bazoumana Toure scored his first goal for Newcastle to level the game before half-time while Isaac Price netted twice for West Brom, the second from the penalty spot.
- Match stats showed Newcastle controlled more quality chances with an expected goals (xG) edge of 2.83 to 1.49, though Jaissle will want to address defensive lapses that led to penalties.
- Newcastle now travel to Championship Millwall in round three and must manage rotation as they integrate young recruits and protect form across cup and league fixtures.