Sandro Tonali shows class on return as Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest on penalties in League Cup

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These are the moments Sandro Tonali must have been dreaming about during those 10 lonely months, with the added drama of a nerve-shredding penalty shootout at the end.
That long wait to pull on the black and white jersey will have felt like an eternity but here, at the City Ground, the £53 million signing sometimes looked as if he had never been away.
Tonali produced a classy, often effortless, performance in midfield and was Newcastle’s stand-out player as his team later emerged winners after spot-kicks.
Nottingham Forest missed twice from the penalty spot and it was Tonali’s replacement, Sean Longstaff, who scored from 12 yards to ensure progress for Eddie Howe.
Newcastle will face a trip to League Two club AFC Wimbledon in the third round.
In Tonali’s first appearance since October, after serving a lengthy ban for breaking gambling rules, his return was always going to be a lively experience.
With a wide range of passes, and an admirable work ethic, Tonali provided Howe with immense encouragement for the season ahead.
He was involved for the opening goal early into the contest and then almost put Newcastle further ahead from close range. 
Substituted after 62 minutes, and clearly tired, he walked off to jeers from the home supporters. It will have been music to his ears.
“I’m sure Sandro would have been emotional before the game, it was a great day for him and a positive result,” said Howe.
“He was so good fitness-wise considering the lack of games he’s had and he can be really pleased with the reaction of the crowd at the end.
“Sandro is a top quality player and has had a real lack of big football work. I think he will be a little short of his best levels but hopefully we can get him back to it as soon as possible. He’s a vital player for us.
“It’s been a difficult time for him but he’s had family and team-mates to rally round him. He’s been training without purpose but this is hopefully the start of something good for him.
“To see him back doing the thing he loves is the most important thing.”
The only negative of a satisfactory evening for Newcastle was the withdrawal of Joe Willock after a quarter of an hour with a suspected thigh injury. Howe admitted after the match that it was a concern.
“It’s a huge blow for him and us; he was the scorer of the goal and he looked good,” he said. 
“His absence meant he had to reshuffle the midfield. We hope it isn’t serious but it doesn’t look good.”
Newcastle will be now turning their attention towards the last knockings of the transfer window.
Their bid to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi remains alive, with Newcastle still hopeful of persuading the London club to do business.
At the last count, Newcastle have made four bids with the latest up to £65 million which is understood to be short of Palace’s strict valuation. Thursday is expected to be a pivotal day in whether the deal will happen or not.
Forest are also expected to be late prowlers in the window as they look to end their pursuit of a new centre-forward.
Nuno is keen to bring in a younger, more versatile option to provide competition for Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood, with the process proving a frustration so far.
Moves for Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez and Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah have both hit the skids. 
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Egyptian international Omar Marmousha has also been discussed but, with time running out, the chances of a deal are becoming increasingly more difficult.
Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest owner, was in attendance at the City Ground and is understood to have assumed control of negotiations on the striker hunt.
Nuno said: “It will be busy to the end, we’re going to be alert and if it is possible I still think we need a couple of options.
“Now the transfer window is crazy and there’s still two days to go, and hopefully we can do something.”
This was a frenetic, sometimes absorbing, encounter and only 18 seconds had elapsed when Newcastle took the lead.
Alexander Isak pounced on a mistake from debutant Zach Abbott to advance on goal and though his shot was pushed aside by Carlos Miguel, Willock could not miss and rolled the ball into the unguarded net.
Tonali could have increased Newcastle’s lead two minutes later, after further hesitation from Forest’s defence, but Miguel reacted quickly with a fine save. What a moment that would have been.
Miguel, a £3.4m summer signing from Corinthians, stands at six foot eight inches in the Forest goal and made an impressive debut in English football.
Forest did have chances to make Newcastle nervous and the equaliser, five minutes into the second half, had a whiff of inevitability about it.
A long throw from Alex Moreno was not adequately cleared and Jota Silva was quick to hammer the ball home off the crossbar. 
Newcastle finished the game strongly and Miguel produced an excellent save with a minute to go, diving to his left to prevent Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall from finding the top corner.
On to penalties, and Miguel gave Forest hope with a fine save from Joelinton but the home team’s Ibraham Sangare and Awoniyi fluffed their chances.
Forest (3-4-3) Miguel 7; Boly 6, Omobamidele 6, Abbott 6 (Milenkovic 60); Da Silva Moreira 7 (Williams 68), Dominguez 6, Anderson 6 (Elanga 79), Moreno 6; Jota 7 (Sangare 61), Awoniyi 6, Sosa 6 (Hudson-Odoi 68). Substitutes Turner (g), Wood, Toffolo, Perry. Booked Abbott, Moreno, Jota, Dominguez, Sangare.
Newcastle (4-3-3) Pope 6; Trippier 6 (Livramento 62), Krafth 6, Burn 7, Hall 6; Tonali 8 (Longstaff 62), Willock 7 (Guimaraes 15), Joelinton 6; Almiron 5 (Gordon 61), Isak 7, Barnes 6. Substitutes Ruddy (g), Targett, Osula, Murphy, Kelly. Booked Guimaraes, Joelinton, Hall.
Referee Sam Allison (Wiltshire)
Liverpool v West HamManchester City v WatfordArsenal v Bolton WanderersManchester United v BarnsleyWycombe Wanderers v Aston VillaCoventry City v Tottenham HotspurWalsall v Leicester CityBrentford v Leyton OrientBlackpool v Sheffield WednesdayPreston North End v FulhamEverton v SouthamptonQueens Park Rangers v Crystal PalaceStoke City v Fleetwood TownBrighton v Wolverhampton WanderersAFC Wimbledon v Newcastle UnitedChelsea v Barrow
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In their post-match interviews Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said his side struggled to show the “right intensity” in the first half before getting going in the second half and regarded the shootout as a “lottery”. He added that it is too early to know how serious Joe Willock’s injury is.
Nuno Espirito Santo said his side had practiced penalties “a lot” but that unfortunately it made no difference on the night.
When probed on transfer targets he said Forest are working hard to make more deals happen.
At first glance Liverpool v West Ham, Wycombe v Aston Villa, Coventry v Tottenham Hotspur, AFC Wimbledon v Newcastle and Chelsea v Barrow look like the plum ties of the third round.
Coventry fans will have fond memories of a famous FA Cup final win over Spurs in 1987, while AFC Wimbledon and Barrow will be delighted at the prospect of taking on Premier League opposition.
Chelsea v Barrow
AFC Wimbledon v Newcastle United
Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Stoke City v Fleetwood Town
Queens Park Rangers v Crystal Palace
Everton v Southampton
Preston North End v Fulham
Blackpool v Sheffield Wednesday
Brentford v Leyton Orient
Walsall v Leicester City
Coventry City v Tottenham Hotspur
Wycombe Wanderers v Aston Villa
Manchester United v Barnsley
Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers
Manchester City v Watford
So here is the draw for the Carabao Cup third round, which will include AFC Wimbledon and Wycombe Wanderers.
Liverpool v West Ham United
Speaking to Sky Sports, Sean Longstaff says he didn’t actually feel to nervous ahead of his winning penalty.
“When they missed the last two it made it a little bit easier knowing that I could afford to miss,” he said. “But it was a massive win for us and hopefully we can kick on now this season.”
“It’s a massive win. We’ve got no European football this year so cup competitions are going to be extra important for us. Hopefully, the draw will be kind to us and we can go deep in the cups this year.” 
And the drama’s not yet done.We’ve got the entertainment of the Carabao Cup third-round draw to follow shortly.
The seven English clubs involved in European competition will be involved from hereon, with ties taking place on the weeks commencing 16 and 23 September.
Those six clubs involved in the Champions League and Europa League will be kept apart to ensure they can play in the Carabao Cup tie in midweeks when they are not in European action.
So Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United will not be drawn against each other tonight.
And they win. Potentially a huge moment in this season. A massive result. Unbeaten in three games, into the next round of the Carabao Cup. Relief but let’s not forget they were by far the better team in the second half and guess who are in the draw for the next round… Leyton… https://t.co/ofYTGcO3HM
That’s a cruel blow for Forest, who battled gamely throughout to hold out for penalties, but they lose 4-3 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
A night to forget for Sangare and especially Awoniyi, who will be utterly crestfallen after missing chances to score in normal time.
Forest’s search for a striker is unlikely to relent now.
Longstaff wins it for Newcastle, sending a cool, low penalty past Miguel to the delight of the travelling faithful.
Awoniyi missed two glorious chances in normal time – and he’s done it again!His strike avoids the goal by a country mile — I think he’s blazed the ball into the River Trent.
Anthony Gordon sends Miguel the wrong way with a confident penalty. It’s effectively sudden death.
Sangare crashes his penalty against the bar and now Newcastle can draw level.
Bruno Guimaraes curls a fantastic penalty beyond Miguel to keep Newcastle in touching distance.
Neco Williams places a wonderfully assured penalty into the corner of the net
Joelinton’s penalty is saved by Miguel, who dives to his right to pull off a wonderful stop.
Nikola Milenkovic rolls in a nonchalant penalty. Nerves of steel.
Alexander Isak sends his penalty down the middle.
Hudson-Odoi takes the first penalty in front of the home fans.And it’s an assured finish into the right-hand side of the net.
And so the match goes to penalties.Newcastle improved following the introduction of Gordon, Livramento and Longstaff and the departure of the influential Jota for Forest, but Eddie Howe’s side was unable to discover a cutting edge and now it’s anyone’s guess who goes through.
It’s popcorn time for the neutrals.
That’s a superb save from Miguel, who uses all of his six feet and eight inches to reach a curling effort from Hall, after fine approach play from the lively Gordon.
There will be five minutes of time added on, but Newcastle will need to display better finishing if they are to avoid a shootout. 
Joelinton works some space for a shot but it’s straight down the throat of Miguel who has impressed on debut tonight.
And with a minute to go Miguel is once again Newcastle’s equal as this time he gets down to save from Gordon’s effort from 20 yards out.
 
Can either side find a winner in the three minutes plus time added on that remain?
Hudson-Odoi sends an inviting cross into the area but no one has gambled to get on the end of it.
That’s unfortunate for Dan Burn, who rises highest to meet Gordon’s corner and sends a thumping header a yard wide.
Newcastle are looking the likelier winners now, as Barnes fires wide from 12 yards following smart footwork by Livramento to get to the byline
Hall drags a lame shot wide as Newcastle begin to turn the screw with 15 minutes to go.
A goal now for either side and they will be looking good for a place in tonight’s third-round draw, which follows on this blog. The match will go straight to penalties if the scores are level after normal time. Exra-time is only applied from the semi-final stage onwards.
That was a chance for Awoniyi who didn’t really connect well enough as the ball fell to him 10 yards out.
Pope was equal to his effort, but that’s two chances the striker will rue having missed, especially with his side so obviously looking to sign a new striker before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Tonali is replaced by Sean Longtsaff after a decent hour’s contribution, while Trippier and Almiron also make way for Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon.
Moments earlier Jota was also brought off, much to the disappointment of the home faithful. He was replaced by Ibrahim Sangare, while Nikola Milenkovic has come on for Abbott.
The match is also becoming increasingly feisty with Lewis Hall booked for a clumsy challenge on Da Silva Moreira. Hall joins Jota and Abbott in the referee’s book.
And in another reshuffle Callum Hudson-Odoi and Neco Williams are on for Moreira and Ramon Sosa.
Forest have their tails up now and Elliot Anderson comes close against the side he left this summer.
After feinting to shoot and finding himself with a tight angle on the right of the area the midfielder attempts a deft lob that feathers narrowly wide of the far post.
What a strike that is from Jota Silva!
Newcastle fail to clear their lines after a long throw and the ball falls to Jota, who connects with a thumping volley from 12 yards out that finds the top corner. Unstoppable from Forest’s best player on the night so far.
With the second half barely two minutes old Alexander Isak is now receiving treatment after coming off second best in a challenge with Elliot Anderson. Miguel Almiron is also limping with a possible ankle problem.
After weathering the early storm Forest steadied the ship and can consider themselves unlucky not to have gone in at half-time on level terms.
Newcastle created the greater clear-cut chances and are indebted to their goalkeeper Miguel for keeping them in the cup tie early on, but this young Forest side have shown great character to stay in the match. If they can just improve their final ball they could yet upset Eddie Howe’s side.
Nottingham Forest almost equalised there and Awoniyi will be kicking himself for that miss.
A wickedly whipped free-kick by Nicolas Dominguez eludes Newcastle’s defence, Pope decides not to come for it and Awoniyi can only head over from close range.
I really hope that isn’t another injury for Joe Willock. Newcastle missed him so much last season and he’s had some terrible luck. Newcastle have started well here but Forest are coming back into it and the visiting defence has looked a little shaky dealing with balls into the…
Sandro Tonali has made an impressive return. It’s as though he’s never been away.
Winning possession and distributing the ball with care, his touch, vision and incisive passing will be a welcome addition to Newcastle this season. 
The Italian appears to have taken a blow and is taking a breather on the sidelines. It doesn’t look to be too serious, though, and he has rejoined the fray.
Although Newcastle are dominating the match, Forest are showing signs of life and have launched the occasional sporadic counter-attack. So far, however, they have struggled with the final pass. Elliot Anderson takes matters into his own hands but blazes a shot harmlessly over from range.
At the other end, meanwhile, Newcastle launch a swift attack and Joelinton curls a rasping shot just wide of Miguel’s goal.
Newcastle are making light of the loss of Willock as Almiron almost doubles the visitors’ lead.Cutting inside from the right after being played in by Harvey Barnes, Almiron’s left-footed effort is well saved by the ever-busier Miguel.
Newcastle’s goalscorer left the field to receive treatment after going down with what looked like a muscle injury.
The former Arsenal midfielder returned briefly to the action but is now having to come off and is replaced by Bruno Guimaraes.
And it was almost a dream return for Tonali.
Having orchestrated the first goal, the Italian was played in by Joelinton, only to be denied by a fine stop from Miguel.
That would have been 2-0 after three minutes.
This could be a long night for Forest.
No sooner had both sets of players and supporters remembered Sven-Goran Eriksson, the former England manager who passed away on Monday, with a minute’s applause, than Newcastle took the lead.
Alexander Isak was played clean through by Miguel Almiron in a move started brilliantly by Sandro Tonali, and after the Swede’s shot was parried by Carlos Miguel, Joe Willock swept home the rebound after just 18 seconds. What a start!
It will be interesting to see how Forest fare with such a young side having been selected. 
Defenders Zach Abbott and Eric da Silva Moreira are both only 18 years old, which surely puts added pressure on debutant goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, 25.
Having made 10 changes to the side that played at the weekend, Nuno has clearly decided that this competition is as good a time as any to blood his young guns.
Strong team. Remember when Newcastle didn’t take the cup competitions seriously as they were pointless and were a distraction in a relegation battle? #NUFC https://t.co/XE7Kqe3yZW
This is a fixture that tends to produce goals and usually favours Newcastle. The last time these two sides met Howe’s side clinched a 3-2 win with the help of a Bruno Guimaraes double — and the Magpies have had the upper hand in three of their last four encounters with Forest. 
However, Chris Wood will have fond memories of his hat-trick at St James’ Park last Boxing Day — and another positive omen for Nuno’s men is the last time these two sides met in this competition, six years ago almost to the day, Forest ran out 3-1 victors.
At first glance it looks like Newcastle have opted for a strong starting XI.Eddie Howe clearly wants Alexander Isak to rediscover his shooting boots, and he has opted for Nick Pope in goal and regulars such as Kieran Trippier and Joe Willock in the starting XI. Harvey Barnes also gets the nod but Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes are on the bench.
The hosts have opted to start with Jota and Awoniyi up front.
Meanwhile, four players make their Forest debuts with Brazilian goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, German right-back Eric da Silva Moreira, Alex Moreno, on loan from Aston Villa, and Paraguay forward Ramon Sosa given their chances.
Ready for their first Forest outings 👊 pic.twitter.com/YITh4325t1
✍️ Four debutants.©️ Boly wears the armband.🇳🇬 Taiwo leads the line.Our starting XI to face @NUFC 📋 pic.twitter.com/GGxCqn5lrK
Newcastle have got tongues wagging with a post of Tonali looking like he’s ready for business.
And so he is.
Team-news 🔜 pic.twitter.com/BYQBsissOM
And here’s how Newcastle line up.
Let’s go, lads! 💪🏆 pic.twitter.com/X9CGABVuC0
Good evening. Tonight we bring you live action from the City Ground where Nottingham Forest are hosting Newcastle United in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
Both sides are unbeaten so far in the Premier League this season having posted four points apiece from their two matches played — but both could have probably done with a kinder cup draw at this early stage of the season.
Forest have been mostly preoccuped with trying to sign a striker before Friday’s transfer deadline, with Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah and Feyenoord’s Santiago Giménez having spurned their advances. 
They are hopeful of getting Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush over the line, but in the meantime Nuno Espirito Santo must decide whether to turn to the dependable Chris Wood up top or instead give Jota Silva or Taiwo Awoniyi a fair crack of the whip.
Newcastle are also attempting to bolster their ranks, with a centre-back top of their wish list. Crystal Palace are refusing to budge on their valuation of Marc Guehi as the clock ticks down.
One player who will feel like a new signing for Toon fans is Sandro Tonali, whose 10-month worldwide ban from football for illegal betting activity has finally come to an end. The former AC Milan midfielder has only made five appearances for Eddie Howe’s side since his £55 million move last summer and will be eager to finally experience the cut and thrust of English football again after an arduously long hiatus.
Will he start or will he be on the bench? The teams will be out soon.