Birmingham vs Newcastle LIVE: FA Cup result and reaction as Willock wins it late on for Magpies
Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle: Magpies recovered from conceding within 44 seconds to overcome the League One leaders
Joe Willock’s brace helped Newcastle United eke past Birmingham City in an FA Cup thriller to progress into the fifth round of the competition.
Birmingham took the lead inside a minute through ex-Man United prodigy Ethan Laird, who smashed past Nick Pope with the help of a deflection from Callum Wilson.
The Magpies then flipped the game on its head thanks to two goals that didn’t go without controversy from Willock and Wilson, with many questioning if Newcastle’s equaliser fully went over the line.
However, the highlight of the first half came when Tomoki Iwata leathered it into the top-right corner to draw parity for the Blues - an early goal of the tournament contender.
After a fiery second half, Willock’s second of the night sealed Newcastle’s win late on, ending Birmingham’s hopes of a major Premier League scalp in the cup.
Relive all the FA Cup action with our live blog below:
Match Report: Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
Joe Willock scored twice including a late winner as Newcastle took another step towards a second Wembley appearance of the season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Birmingham in the FA Cup.
Newcastle secured a trip to the national stadium with their midweek Carabao Cup victory over Arsenal and they will have their sights on another after reaching the FA Cup fifth round.
However, they were made to work hard for their win over a Birmingham side who came into the clash at St Andrew’s on the back of an 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Read the full match report below.
Joe Willock stars as controversial goal helps Newcastle battle by Birmingham
Eddie Howe issues injury update
"In the last couple of weeks we seem to have picked up a couple,” he said. “It would be the last thing [we need] to derail us.
“We have such a small squad. Last season we had big numbers of players out and it disrupted us in the middle of the season.
"We were forced to take Dan Burn off. It was something with his groin. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad."
Eddie Howe's post-match thoughts
"It was a tough game for us,” he told BBC Sport. “Mentally, physically – you could see a few players were on the edge today. We’re delighted to get through.
"I thought it was going to be a difficult night before the game. [The early goal] made it doubly difficult because the atmosphere in the stadium totally changed.
“We managed to get a foothold and did really well. At half-time it was about staying calm. I thought we did that a lot better in the second half.”
Willock taking advantage of limited minutes
Joe Willock hasn’t been afforded much game time this season, but his performance today will put him in good stead with Eddie Howe.
"I was just trying to give my best. It has not been an easy season for me, I've been waiting for my chance to push on and hopefully this is the start of the rest of my season,” Willock told BBC Sport.
"It's very exciting times. It's not an easy place to come to, we want to thank the fans. Hopefully we can go one better this time in the Carabao Cup [final] and far in this competition."
Newcastle leave it late to break Birmingham dreams of cup upset
FULL-TIME! Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
That’s your lot. A fantastic FA Cup clash that sees Newcastle eke out League One high-flyers Birmingham to progress into the fifth round.
Joe Willock’s brace proved pivotal, with his second goal being the only strike of a fiery second half.
Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
90+12 mins: Osula is down with a head injury. He’s being treated as we move past the 12 minutes allotted.
Isak to come on for the final seconds as Birmingham get the drop ball.
Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
90+11 mins: Schar gets a big tackle in before trying to catch the keeper off his line from halfway.
His effort is caught, giving possession back to Birmingham for maybe one last attack.
Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
90+9 mins: Newcastle get a corner and try to kill time by keeping it right there, in the corner.
Tonali’s attempts at body-shielding are largely unsuccessful as he concedes a goal-kick. Chance to lump it up the other end.
Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
90+7 mins: Alfie May looks to drive towards the box and attempts to let fly, but his shot doesn’t have the pace or power and trickles into the arms of Pope.
Up the other end, Osula blazes over from outside the box.
This isn’t over quite yet. Another goal could come at either end.
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