Newcastle United almost break record as Bournemouth fans make feelings clear towards Eddie Howe – moments missed

Eddie Howe goes strong – but eight Newcastle United players still missing

Head coach Eddie Howe named arguably his strongest possible line-up against his former side after revealing he was ‘desperate’ for Newcastle to progress to the last eight. He made just one change from the side that beat Chelsea 1-0 in United’s previous competitive match before the World Cup break with Callum Wilson coming back into the side for Chris Wood.

Swedish pair Alexander Isak and Emil Krafth were sidelined as expected due to respective thigh and ACL injuries. Paul Dummett also remains out with a back injury.

Young midfielder Elliot Anderson had started the previous two Carabao Cup matches this season but was rested after picking up a knock following the trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

“Elliot’s working back to fitness,” Howe said afterwards. “He’s had a couple of niggles behind the scenes. He’s doing some fitness work to make sure he’s fully fit.”

Loris Karius was tipped to start this match at one stage after impressing in Saudi Arabia. But with his short-term deal at the club set to expire in January and no update on a potential contract extension as of yet, Nick Pope and Karl Darlow were Howe’s preferred options between the sticks and on the bench respectively.

Ryan Fraser also missed the match against his former club as Matt Ritchie returned to the bench following a calf injury. But Howe insisted both Karius and Fraser were ‘fine’.

Mark Gillespie was in attendance at St James’s Park but wasn’t included in the matchday squad. The 30-year-old isn’t part of Newcastle’s 25 man Premier League squad but is eligible to play in cup matches.

Jamal Lewis also missed the match to take The Magpies’ first team absentees to eight.

Explaining his strong line-up, Howe said: “We’ve had players away who haven’t had a lot of football. You can train as much as you want, but nothing replicates the games.

"So I think there’s some players there who will benefit from the match. We’ll be better for that game. It was important we progressed.”

Newcastle come within touching distance of breaking League Cup record for second time this season

Newcastle’s previous Carabao Cup match at St James’s Park against Crystal Palace saw the club break a 46-year attendance record for the competition. A crowd of 51,660 watched as United beat Palace on penalties in front of the largest League Cup crowd ever seen at St James’s Park.

Tuesday night’s match was another sell out for home fans – but with Bournemouth supporters having to travel the length of the country on a Tuesday night the week before Christmas – the crowd was ever so slightly lower.

The official attendance against The Cherries was an impressive 51,579, just 81 shy of the record set earlier in the season but still well clear of the 49,902 record set during a 3-1 semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur in 1976.

Newcastle were ultimately beaten 2-1 in the final by Manchester City 46 years ago – can they go one step further this season?

Bruno Guimaraes’ ‘new’ hair

It was great to see Bruno Guimaraes back in the heart of Newcastle's midfield following the World Cup break. It was a disappointing tournament for the 25-year-old in Qatar as he was limited to just two substitute appearances and was the subject of criticism from the Brazilian media as the five time world champions were knocked out on penalties by Croatia at the quarter-final stage.

But back on Tyneside, Guimaraes had returned to a place where he is loved and idolised for his conduct both on and off the pitch.

In the early stages of the match, Guimaraes seemed to be shaking off some rustiness accumulated after a month of little on field action, but he slowly grew into the game and helped Newcastle apply the pressure.

The Magpies finally found a breakthrough midway through the second half as Kieran Trippier’s cross was turned in by Bournemouth defender Adam Smith.

But there was something different about Guimaraes’ appearance following his return to Newcastle. Since October, the midfielder had been sporting a ‘bleached’ hairstyle which brought both himself and Newcastle plenty of good fortune.

After scoring a brace with his new hairstyle against Brentford, Guimaraes went on to help Newcastle win five league games in a row before the World Cup break. Guimaraes kept the blonde hair while out in Qatar but his return to Tyneside has seen him revert to a more natural colour.

Bournemouth fans make their feelings clear towards Eddie Howe

It’s no secret that the majority of Newcastle supporters have a very high opinion of Howe following an incredibly successful first 12 months in charge. But it still pales in comparison to his reputation at Bournemouth, for now at least.

The 45-year-old is a club legend for The Cherries having helped guide them from the foot of League Two to the Premier League in the space of seven years. Howe also played 300 games for Bournemouth having graduated from the club’s academy and has been granted freedom of the borough for his achievements on the South Coast.

Howe ultimately left the club by mutual consent following relegation from the Premier League in 2020, but the Cherries supporters were still keen to show their appreciation towards their former manager on Tuesday night.

Chants of ‘Eddie Howe, he’s one of our own’ could be heard from the away end between chants of ‘Eddie Howe’s black and white army’ from the home fans.

There is arguably no Premier League manager more highly respected at two different English top flight clubs than the Newcastle boss.