Newcastle United are through to the last 16 in the FA Cup following a dramatic 3-2 win over Birmingham City.
Just days after reaching the 2025 Carabao Cup final with a 4-0 aggregate win over Arsenal, a much-changed Newcastle United side kept our FA Cup dreams alive.
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Newcastle are desperate to end their 70-year trophy drought this season. Not only will Eddie Howe’s side travel to Wembley next month, but the Magpies also find themselves in the latter stages of the FA Cup.
Newcastle will face Brighton in the fifth round with the match set to take place at the beginning of March.
Joe Willock scored twice against Birmingham, while Callum Wilson scored on his return from injury. But it was far from easy for Newcastle in what was a very hostile St Andrew’s Stadium.
Refereeing error spotted in Newcastle vs Birmingham
When Newcastle faced the League One leaders, there was no VAR available, meaning referee Matthew Donohue had the final say.
Newcastle struck lucky for Willock’s first goal with no goal-line technology available either to confirm whether his effort crossed the line.
It has also been suggested that Birmingham avoided a red card against Newcastle when Ben Davies lunged into a tackle on William Osula, who registered two assists on the night.
BBC Commentator Matthew Upson insisted Davies was “lucky” to have gotten away with his challenge.
In fairness, Lewis Miley also avoided a red card after replays showed his tackle on Marc Leonard was likely worthy of a sending off.
VAR changes for Newcastle United’s FA Cup campaign
The Birmingham match was full of flashpoints and controversial moments, but there was no VAR to intervene.
However, that will not be the case when Newcastle face Brighton in the next round. The FA have confirmed that there will be VAR in every FA Cup match going forwards, starting in the fifth round.
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Additionally, the new semi-automated offside technology will also be used in remaining FA Cup matches. It is the first time the tech will be used in English football.
The technology is designed to produce more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, increasing the speed decisions are made.
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