Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

Sky have quick word with Nathan Jones. “Really disappointed with the first 20 minutes … we were really passive, we weren’t aggressive, we didn’t bounce … the goals were really, really bad … we let runners go … our midfielders didn’t track … it was suicide really … but our reaction was fantastic, we got a goal back, and in the second half we were excellent … we lacked a little bit of cutting edge … I’m really proud of the reaction, but we have to be better in certain moments because they are costing us results … we can be a really good side but things have to be better … they’ve responded brilliantly … every single game we are really, really close … if we keep the levels of performance up, we’ll be fine [in the Premier League].”

He reports that Kyle Walker-Peters has a tight hamstring and his withdrawal was precautionary.

It won’t make Southampton or their supporters feel any better right now, but they showed character tonight when things threatened to spiral out of control, and under Nathan Jones don’t look like a team destined for relegation. Che Adams, who scored a fine goal, talks to Sky. “It’s not nice to lose the way we did, but we let the game slip early … there was plenty to build on during the second half and we played a lot more football … that’s something we have to do from minute one … we had to settle the crowd down and we didn’t do that … I’ve not been converting chances as freely as I’d like to, but today I was thankful it went in … it gave us a bit of belief, but it wasn’t to be today … there were big moments but we didn’t punish them … but we’re creating chances, and not many teams come here and create chances, so we’ll take positives from that and move forward to Saturday … all our focus is about getting out of what we’re in … everyone’s on board and raring to go … we’ve always had enough and we have to show it on a consistent basis … it’s all down to us now.”

Eddie Howe speaks to Sky. “It was an intense game … at 2-0 we were playing really well … their goal changed the dynamic of the game and we never really got our rhythm back … but we were so good at the start of the match … we weren’t as fluid or free and Southampton had nothing to lose and gave us problems … we are delighted to get through for everyone here and everyone connected with the club … team spirit and togetherness carries you a long way and we have that … we have some very good professionals who are desperate to succeed … I’m so pleased for [Sean Longstaff] that he got the goals and the accolades because he deserves it, he’s been excellent this season … there’s a lot more to come from him.”

He’s then asked whether he would take the League Cup over a top-four finish. “I can’t choose … we’re going for everything … we go for as much as we can achieve.” He also describes the upcoming three-game suspension for Bruno Guimaraes as “a huge blow … everything goes through him … we’ll have to make do”.

Louise Taylor was at St James’ Park tonight and her verdict is in. Here it is! (Managerial reaction to follow, so make sure you come back, now.)

Newcastle, players and fans alike, milk their moment, and deservedly so. They’ve waited a long time for something positive to happen after many a downbeat year. Hey Jude the soundtrack now, Eddie Howe starting to make it better, better, better.

While the team continue to cavort, Sky speak to Dan Burn. “I’ve never played in an atmosphere like that before … I could feel myself getting emotional because the place was bouncing … we started off really well, scored two good goals, let them back into it, and were really happy to get over the line and get a trip to Wembley for the fans!”

Burn’s fellow local hero, and player of the match, Sean Longstaff, adds: “It’s a really special night for every person from Newcastle … it’s been a really long time since a night like this … obviously me and Burny being from here makes it a wonderful night! It’s amazing what can happen in a year. If you said to anyone 12 months ago that this is what’s going to happen, they’d have probably laughed at you. But since the takeover we’ve brung in quality players. It’s really special and really emotional. We don’t want to stop. We want to keep going, and have nights like this every season.”

Doris Day blasts over the PA system: Que sera, sera, Newcastle United are going to Wembley! Nathan Jones, whose team gave it a good go, sportingly congratulates Eddie Howe, then all of the Toon heroes who have denied Southampton. St James’ Park is bouncing! Newcastle are deserved winners over the piece, and will almost certainly face Manchester United in a replay of the last domestic final they contested, the 1999 FA Cup final. Nottingham Forest may have something to say about that tomorrow night, but, well, y’know. What an evening for Newcastle. Epochal? A fair chance we’ll look back on all of this as epochal!

Lavia has one last desperate dig. It’s blocked. The whistle goes, and Newcastle United have made it to their first major final of the 21st century: the 2023 Carabao Cup final!

90 min +9: Bree crosses from the right. Pope punches clear. A cacophony of whistles. Newcastle so close now! St James’ Park in Party Mode once more!

90 min +8: Bednarek creams a fine pass down the right for Bree, who has a little bit of space to work with, only to shank wildly out for a goal kick. Newcastle’s fans break into Que Sera Sera. They’re going to Wembley, you know.

90 min +7: Murphy, not waving but smiling, comes on for Anderson.

90 min +6: Ward-Prowse cuts the corner back for Lavia, who is found in space, 12 yards out. Lavia leans back and blazes high into the stand. A decent chance, that one.

90 min +5: Alan Shearer is spotted in the stand, wearing a Newcastle scarf and a look of extreme agitation. The nerves really kicking in. He’s chomping away on his tongue like billy-o. Isak makes way for Lascelles.

90 min +4: The corner still hasn’t been taken. Isak is still feeling the effect of taking that Ward-Prowse free kick full in the face – well, you would, wouldn’t you? – and the physio comes on to take another look.

90 min +3: Ward-Prowse’s ball in from the right pings out for a corner. Bazunu comes up for it. Before it can be taken, Isak goes down to catch a breather, then the ref goes over to lecture Eddie Howe about something or other.

90 min +2: Perraud’s long-range effort is blocked at source by Murphy. Another roar at the level of garden-variety goal.

90 min: There will be seven additional minutes. Seven! Newcastle never do things the easy way. Their poor fans. “Describe how this is wonderfully tense?!” writes Gavin White. “I’m a Newcastle fan travelling back to Sheffield on the train, relying on your feed, nothing ‘wonderful’ about tenseness!”

89 min: Salisu is replaced by Mara as Southampton switch into Kitchen Sink mode. Mara’s first task is to race after Aribo’s long pass down the right. He can’t reach it. The home crowd holler their approval. Every small incident that sends them a step closer to their first domestic final since 1999 cheered like a goal.

88 min: Edozie is sent racing past Burn on the right, chasing after Ward-Prowse’s forensic pass. His low cross is hacked clear by Botman. The tension crackles.

87 min: Saint-Maximin romps down the right and fires a low ball into the Saints mixer. Bednarek does well to clear with opponents lurking.

86 min: Play resumes. Time is not on Southampton’s side now, and the home fans roar as loudly as they can, in an effort to heave their remaining ten men over the line.

85 min: Southampton have given this a good go, but Armstrong’s one-on-one duel with Pope aside, they’ve lacked the required quality in the final third. Frustration and furrowed brows as the magic sponge is applied to poor Isak’s face.

84 min: Ward-Prowse looks to whip the free kick into the top-left corner. It smacks Isak plumb in the mush, and the brave component of the Newcastle wall goes down. On comes the physio.

82 min: The referee wipes out the aforementioned yellow card, and shows Guimaraes a red one instead. Guimaraes complains, but his late, clumsy challenge landed high up on Edozie’s leg. He could easily have broken it. Off he goes.

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81 min: That challenge wasn’t good at all. Guimaraes stood on Edozie’s ankle, studs on, leg bending. VAR ushers the referee over to the screen. Guimaraes is in a load of trouble here.

80 min: Guimaraes, who has been testing the referee’s patience with a series of minor fouls and the odd argument thrown in, is booked for clipping Edozie, just to the right of the Newcastle D. A free kick in a very dangerous position coming up. Ward-Prowse will be taking it, all right.

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79 min: Lavia, under very little pressure in the centre circle, takes an absurd fresh-air swipe while attempting a simple pass to a team-mate on the left wing. That allows Guimaraes to stride upfield with the ball and pearl a fine rising shot towards the top-left corner from 25 yards. It flies inches wide of the post. So close to the final blow, right there.

77 min: Diallo is replaced by Aribo.

76 min: The ball is adjudged to have come off Salisu’s chest, and nothing comes of the corner. This is wonderfully tense!

75 min: A long ball into the Saints box. Botman competes for it. Does the dropping ball hit Salisu’s right arm? Newcastle claim the penalty. But the ball breaks to Longstaff, who creams a shot towards the bottom left. Bazunu parries brilliantly. Isak attempts to force the loose ball home from a tight angle on the left, but his effort is deflected wide for a corner.

73 min: An equaliser on the night would have changed the atmosphere in here all right. Despite the miss, it’s the Saints fans up in the corner you hear at the moment.

72 min: A huge chance for Southampton to half the deficit! Lavia, quarterbacking from deep, plays Armstrong clean through down the middle! He’s onside, Trippier having been caught snoozing far too deep. Armstrong should round the keeper and roll home, but attempts the floated chip instead, and Pope blocks. Brilliant save, though he should never have been allowed to make it.

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70 min: The resulting free kick, dinked into the box by Ward-Prowse, drops to the feet of Salisu, six yards out. But there’s been some shovin’ and a-tuggin’ elsewhere in the box, and the pressure on Newcastle, such as it is, eases off.