Triple Newcastle United concern after Carabao Cup exit as Chelsea incident under investigation - five things

Newcastle United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage by Chelsea on penalties - here are five talking points from Tuesday night's match.

Three changes made as Sven Botman returns

Eddie Howe made three changes to his Newcastle side that beat Fulham 3-0 on Saturday. Sven Botman returned for his first start in over three months due to injury with Fabian Schar ruled out.

Dan Burn also dropped to the bench with Emil Krafth coming into the side at right-back while Lewis Miley came into midfield in place of the injured Joelinton. Kieran Trippier returned from suspension on the bench.

The match marked Eddie Howe's 100th game in charge at Newcastle and also Callum Wilson's 100th appearance for the club. The striker marked the occasion by opening the scoring in the 16th minute.

Wilson intercepted a loose pass from Levi Colwill and charged the length of the Chelsea half with the ball. Just as The Magpies' No. 9 looked to have been tackled by Benoit Badiashile, he was able to regain possession and slot the ball coolly past Djordje Petrovic with the outside of his foot.

It was the only real sniff The Magpies would get at goal all evening as they were pegged back for the majority of the match at Stamford Bridge.

Newcastle United substitutions explained

Both Sven Botman and Emil Krafth were taken off at half-time as Howe had to change half of his back four for the second half of the match. Trippier came on for Krafth while Burn replaced Botman for the second half.

It was always Howe's plan to replace Botman with Burn at half-time as the club build the Dutch defender back up to full fitness following an extended spell on the sidelines. But Trippier's introduction at half-time was not planned and came about after Krafth was on the receiving end of a challenge from Levi Colwill.

Howe was then forced to make a third change shortly after half time after Anthony Gordon went down, feeling the lasting impact of an early challenge from Moises Caicedo. The Chelsea midfielder's studs connected with Gordon's calf but referee Garred Gillett only showed a yellow card with no VAR in place to intervene.

Gordon was replaced by Matt Ritchie in the 52nd minute.

"Sven was planned," Howe said after the match. "45 minutes was set for him. I thought he did very well and was a real positive."

"Emil was too sore to continue, has a real gash on his shin which is quite sore at the moment. Anthony is the same, I thought it was a really poor tackle on him. It's the type of tackle you don't want to see, taking our attacking players out of the game so he's very sore at the minute."

When asked if he thought Caicedo should have been sent off for the challenge on Gordon, Howe said: "I've only seen it live. I'm going on what other people have said and they said it should be a red card." That's two more fitness doubts for The Magpies heading into the weekend but perhaps Howe's biggest concern is the recent form of Trippier.

Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier concern

Newcastle looked set for a place in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup for the second season running and were just a couple of minutes away from doing so until Mykhailo Mudryk pounced on an undercooked defensive header from Trippier to make it 1-1 in the 92nd minute.

On the run of play, it was a deserved equaliser for Chelsea - who had almost 80% of the ball and 15 shots on goal to Newcastle's four. But after defending resolutely for the majority of the game with Martin Dubravka only having to make a couple of smart saves in the match, to be undone by a late individual error certainly stings for The Magpies.

Trippier could have made amends by scoring and helping Newcastle progress in the penalty shootout. But the right-back's error was compounded by a penalty miss as United exited the competition with a 4-2 shootout defeat.

Since the England international's arrival at Newcastle, he has been a beacon of consistency and setter of standards - without him, the club would not be where they are today. And that's what makes his recent displays so jarring.

So often a creator of goals for Newcastle, each of Trippier's last three domestic appearances for The Magpies have seen him make errors leading to opposition goals. But Tuesday night's mistake at Stamford Bridge was probably the most obvious and most costly given its timing.

"I'm sure he doesn't feel fantastic because he prides himself on his technical excellence and the quality of his defensive work," Howe said afterwards.

"After giving us so much, it's now our turn to support Kieran. He's taken the group to a different level and has been a transformative signing for us. He's been the heartbeat of our performances."

Chelsea fan confonts Martin Dubravka

In the aftermath of Chelsea's equaliser, one supporter from the home end made his way onto the pitch and confronted Magpies goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. The supporter appeared to be goading the Slovakian celebrating Mudryk's equaliser and briefly clashed with the goalkeeper.

The individual was then able to make his way back into the Matthew Harding Stand. Chelsea and the Metropolitan Police are understood to be investigating the incident, which could also see Chelsea charged by the Football Association. But no arrests have been made as of yet.

Reflecting on the incident, Howe - who was confonted by a supporter at Leeds United last season - said: "We say the safety of players, coaches and managers, referees and linesmen, that’s the priority in any football match. So more has to be done to keep especially irate supporters away from anybody.”

Where do Newcastle United go from here?

It's been a difficult week for The Magpies as they've been knocked out of two cup competitions in quick succession. Both the AC Milan defeat and Chelsea penalty exit came after conceding late goals, a common theme for Newcastle this season.

While the Champions League was the competition for the dreamers and hopefuls, the Carabao Cup represented a real opportunity for Newcastle to finally end their long wait for silverware - which is why it stings.

Newcastle were two minutes away from progression to a cup semi-final with Fulham, Middlesbrough and one of West Ham United or Liverpool. Instead, it's Chelsea who progressed and will be licking their lips at the prospect of a major trophy come February.

In many ways it's felt like a season-defining seven days for The Magpies. And all its done is put more pressure on the next few weeks.

Newcastle currently sit sixth in the Premier League and will need to stay in touch with the European places as a minimum this season after exiting Europe altogether last week. The Carabao Cup exit also puts that bit more pressure on next month's Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Howe is yet to win an FA Cup match as Newcastle boss, but this is one he almost can't afford to lose.