Willock's Goal Sends Newcastle Past Millwall in Carabao Cup
Newcastle are into the Carabao Cup last 16, but they had to grind for every inch of it at The Den.
Marco Jaissle sent out a strong side for this third-round tie, a team picked to impose itself early and quieten a hostile south London crowd. On paper, it looked a mismatch. On the pitch, it was anything but.
Newcastle hogged the ball. They just did almost nothing with it.
For long stretches, the 2025 winners passed and probed without incision, their attacks slowing to a crawl in the final third. Crosses drifted harmlessly, combinations broke down, and the tempo never quite snapped into life. Millwall, disciplined and combative, grew in belief with every wasted move.
The Magpies mustered only one shot on target in a disjointed opening hour. When that effort finally arrived, Filip Marschall met it head-on, the Millwall goalkeeper springing to his near post to beat away a vicious strike from Joe Willock. It felt like a moment that could tilt the tie.
It didn’t. Not yet.
The Championship side almost delivered the night’s defining twist instead. Tairyk Arconte, off the bench and full of intent, seized on slack defending from Tino Livramento and burst clear. His low, drilled shot flew past the goalkeeper but cannoned off the post and back out. The Den held its breath; Newcastle exhaled.
The warning was clear. One more lapse and the Premier League side could be staring at a shock exit.
Tension had already been simmering. Right on the stroke of half-time, Newcastle saw a strong penalty appeal waved away when Fabian Schar appeared to have his shirt tugged by Caleb Taylor inside the area. Arms went up, voices rose, but the referee stood firm. No spot-kick. No escape route. If Newcastle were going through, they would have to carve Millwall open the hard way.
The pressure finally told.
With nine minutes of normal time left, Lewis Hall found space wide and fizzed a low, drilled cross into the box. Willock reacted in an instant, darting across his marker and turning the ball into the net. One clean touch. One ruthless finish. After an evening of toil, Newcastle finally had the breakthrough.
Relief poured from the away end. The travelling supporters, who had watched their side stutter and strain against Millwall’s stubborn resistance, could finally celebrate something more than sterile possession.
Jaissle’s unbeaten start to the season survives, and with it Newcastle’s interest in a competition they know how to win. The performance was far from fluent, but the job is done and their name is in the hat for the last 16.
Next Challenge
Next comes a different kind of test. Newcastle head back to league duty and a meeting with Leeds United, where the expectation will be not just to advance, but to convince.
Millwall, meanwhile, walk away with frustration and a measure of encouragement. They went toe-to-toe with top-flight opposition and came within a post’s width of a famous upset. Now the focus turns back to the Championship and a home clash with Blackburn Rovers, where the same intensity will be demanded — this time with points, not just pride, on the line.
