Newcastle United were far from their best but are through to the next round of the Carabao Cup after beating AFC Wimbledon.
A week on from when the Carabao Cup tie was originally scheduled to be played, Newcastle booked their spot in the next round with a 1-0 win at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe‘s side are now set to face Premier League side Chelsea.
It was far from a convincing performance from the Magpies, who relied on a first-half penalty from Fabian Schar to beat the League Two opposition.
READ MORE: Newcastle United player ratings vs AFC Wimbledon, Fabian Schar seals win but 3/10 struggles
Wimbledon boss left ‘fuming’ at Newcastle penalty decision
After scoring from the spot to take a point from the clash against Manchester City, Newcastle were awarded another spot-kick against Wimbledon.
Miguel Almiron, on his return to the starting lineup, won the penalty after he was brought down in the box by Joe Pigott. There was also a tussle involving Schar beforehand which could have also been flagged as a foul.
Referee Darren Bond took his time and discussed the incident with the linesman before eventually pointing to the spot.
Schar stepped up and scored what ended up being the only goal of the game.
After the full-time whistle, Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said he was left “fuming” at the decision.
He was quoted saying: “The first one is a dive [Schar], so it should be a card… The ref doesn’t give it and then the linesman decides to get involved.”
Newcastle United far from their best
After such an energetic and brilliant performance against Man City, Newcastle looked sleepy and lethargic against Wimbledon.
That can be somewhat expected when Howe makes eight changes to the lineup, but ultimately more is expected of the squad against lower-league opposition.
The important thing is that Newcastle avoided a cup upset and are through to the next round, but it wasn’t exactly an inspiring or impressive performance.
It was also not the kind of display that will give Howe selection headaches against Everton on the weekend. Those who were given a chance to impress against Wimbledon failed to do so.
As for the penalty decision, it was a clear foul.
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