Newcastle Edges Past Millwall in Carabao Cup Thriller

Newcastle are in the Carabao Cup last 16, but they had to drag themselves there. This was no cruise through a lower-league tie; it was a scrap in south London that only truly tilted their way in the final 10 minutes.

Jaissle sent out a serious team for the third-round trip to The Den, a strong Premier League XI that underlined how much he wants this competition. On paper, Newcastle had too much. On the pitch, for a long time, they didn’t.

They hogged the ball, as you’d expect from the 2025 winners, yet carried almost no bite. For over an hour, their play in the final third was laboured, predictable, and easily repelled by a Millwall side that refused to be overawed.

The numbers told the story: just one shot on target in a frustrating opening spell. When that effort did finally test Filip Marschall, the Millwall goalkeeper rose to it superbly, beating away a fierce Joe Willock drive at his near post. It felt like a warning that Newcastle were waking up.

The warning didn’t immediately become a goal. The game stayed tense, edgy, The Den feeding off every Newcastle miscontrol, every overhit cross. Millwall grew in belief. The tie began to smell like a cup upset.

Then came the moment that almost blew it wide open. Substitute Tairyk Arconte seized on slack play from Tino Livramento, burst clear and drilled low across goal. The home fans were already half-celebrating. The ball smashed off the post and flew away to safety. Newcastle had been let off, badly.

That scare did not calm them. It cranked up the anxiety. The visitors’ irritation had already spiked just before the break when a strong penalty shout went nowhere. Fabian Schar appeared to have his shirt tugged by Caleb Taylor inside the box, but the referee waved it away. Newcastle protested, arms in the air, but got nothing. If they were going through, it would have to be the hard way.

The hard way eventually looked like extra time and the looming threat of penalties. The away end grew restless. The Millwall back line dug in deeper, sensing a famous night.

Then the pressure finally told.

With nine minutes left, Lewis Hall found space on the flank and drilled a precise ball into the area. No fuss, no flourish, just a clean, driven cross into danger. Willock read it quicker than anyone. One sharp movement, one decisive touch, and the ball was in the net.

Relief. Real, visceral relief from the travelling Newcastle supporters, who had watched their side labour and fret for most of the evening. Willock, denied earlier by Marschall, would not be kept out a second time. His goal shattered Millwall’s resistance and preserved Jaissle’s unbeaten start to the season.

Millwall had pushed them close. Very close. The Lions matched Newcastle for intensity, rode out long spells without the ball, and still carved out the game’s clearest scare through Arconte’s effort off the woodwork. For a side chasing points in the Championship, this was a performance that should harden their belief.

Newcastle, though, move on. They have survived a tricky away assignment, stayed alive in the Carabao Cup, and now swing back towards league business with Leeds United next on the Premier League schedule. Momentum is building, even if this was more grind than glamour.

Millwall must now park the what-ifs and turn back to the grind of the Championship. Blackburn Rovers come to The Den next. If they bring this level of defiance again, those narrow margins might finally fall their way.