Newcastle booked their place in the Carabao Cup final after sealing a dominant 4-0 aggregate victory over Arsenal with a superb performance in their semi-final second leg at St James' Park. Eddie Howe's side held a 2-0 lead from the first leg, but pushed to add to the advantage in front of a vibrant home crowd. Alexander Isak saw an early strike ruled out for offside, but played a key role in the opening goal of the night.

The in-form forward struck the post with an effort in the 19th minute, but Jacob Murphy was on hand to impressively sweep in the rebound. Newcastle seized on a poor David Raya pass in the second half, with Anthony Gordon producing a composed finish into the bottom corner to put the tie out of Arsenal's reach in the 52nd minute. Mail Sport's Isaan Khan rates the players as Newcastle booked their place in the final on March 16.

Jacob Murphy steered in on the rebound to put Newcastle ahead on the night against Arsenal. Anthony Gordon put Newcastle 4-0 up in the tie as Eddie Howe's side cruised into the final. Arsenal were unable to mount a comeback as Mikel Arteta's team were soundly beaten. MARTIN DUBRAVKA: 6.5. Kept alert in goal. Didn’t have too many goalbound shots to deal with. KIERAN TRIPPIER: 6.5. Vocal at the back, using his experience to help get the backline through the game.

FABIAN SCHAR: 7.5. Kept an eye on Kai Havertz. Great interception to beat Declan Rice to the ball and set up Anthony Gordon. SVEN BOTMAN: 7. Strong tackles and a real presence at the back for his team. Made himself known to the opposition. Fabian Schar, left, and Sven Botman, right, were strong at the heart of Newcastle's defence. DAN BURN: 6.5. Not afraid to throw his body in the line of fire. Particularly effective in the air.

LEWIS HALL: 7. The youngster stood up to the occasion. Closed down the wide men on his side effectively and played some nice deliveries over the top. JACOB MURPHY: 7. Well-taken finish to steer Alexander Isak’s shot, which rebounded off the crossbar, into the goal. SANDRO TONALI: 7. Cut open the Arsenal midfield. Good engine to track back and play passes around the park. Gordon produced a relentless display and was involved in both of Newcastle goals.

Alexander Isak haunted Arsenal's defence again and saw a superb finish ruled out for offside. BRUNO GUIMARAES: 6.5. Composed on the ball and got the crowd up. At one point did kick-ups on the pitch. ANTHONY GORDON: 8.5. Relentless display. Involved in the build-up to Isak’s goal and got one himself after Raya’s error. Close to making William Saliba pay, too, with another goal. ALEXANDER ISAK: 8. Haunted Saliba and Co once again, after doing the same in the first leg. His first strike — what a finish — was ruled for offside, but his shot on 19 minutes led to Murphy’s goal.

Manager – EDDIE HOWE: 7. Newcastle are on the verge of a first major domestic trophy since 1955. Enough said. DAVID RAYA: 5. Made a poor error, passing the ball to Declan Rice, which allowed Gordon to make it 2-0 and put the game to bed. JURRIEN TIMBER: 6. Needed help off William Saliba in dealing with Gordon. Wasn’t able to get into the final third in the way he usually does. WILLIAM SALIBA: 5. Struggled with Isak all game — both in the air and shoulder to shoulder duels. Gordon nearly made him pay, too, on 48 minutes. An off night for the usually reliable Frenchman.

GABRIEL: 6.5. Was up for the duels and made decisive interventions. The task was made harder by conceding early on. David Raya was punished for a poor pass to David Raya for Newcastle's second of the night. William Saliba endured a rare off night for Arsenal and struggled with Isak throughout the tie. MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY: 6. No standout moment from the teenager this time in the ilk of his display against Manchester City.

MARTIN ODEGAARD: 6.5. Arsenal’s bright spark going forward. Should have scored in the first half but struck a post. THOMAS PARTEY: 6. Unable to pass the ball with purpose. He looked stuck when receiving it on the edge of the area. DECLAN RICE: 6. Some good challenges but was often chasing the game with the Arsenal midfield dissected often. GABRIEL MARTINELLI: 5.5. Hobbled off after 37 minutes and was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri. Got to the byline occasionally, though didn’t make enough impact.

Kai Havertz ran around with intent but ultimately came out second best in attacking positions. Mikel Arteta's side appeared unconcerned by the clock running down at times in the match. KAI HAVERTZ: 5.5. A quiet night for the German. Ran around with intent, but second best when in attacking positions. LEANDRO TROSSARD: 6.5. Some neat, intricate passes in the box which nearly lead to a goal from his captain Odegaard. Wanted to make things happen in the final third.