Whilst the focus will be on Manchester United's continued capitulation under Erik ten Hag, the fact that Newcastle United's 3-0 thrashing of the Red Devils at Old Trafford came as no surprise just about sums up how far the Magpies have come. Eddie Howe's side are now into the last eight of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Chelsea in the hope of continuing their run to a second consecutive final.
Last season, of course, Newcastle suffered Wembley heartbreak thanks to Wednesday's opposition. With both Manchester clubs now out of the competition, those at St James' Park stand every chance of ending their wait for silverware. They may have to reach the final without one particular player, however, after a recent injury update emerged.
Newcastle United injury news
In a season that has already seen them defeat Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in the Champions League, Newcastle have endured some frustrating bad luck when it comes to injuries. Howe is already without Alexander Isak, Elliot Anderson, Harvey Barnes and Sven Botman through injury, as well as Sandro Tonali through long-term suspension. Now the Newcastle boss has been dealt another damning blow after Matt Targett limped off against Manchester United after just three minutes of action.
Speaking about the injury, Howe said, via The Northern Echo: "I have no idea why or how it happened. It's bizarre. It's early in the game and he's not fatigued at that moment. He's stretched his leg up to tackle and instantly the minute he hit the ground he was waving to us and knew he was in trouble. It looks like a hamstring which would be a huge blow.
"The only hope for me is he wasn't really running at the time. Sometimes they're the worst ones when you're in an explosive action, but he was in pain and he's struggling to walk now so it doesn't look good."
How Newcastle can replace "very good" Matt Targett
As the injuries continue to build for Howe and Newcastle, they must come up with solutions. Targett's blow will particularly frustrate the Magpies, given the fact that he can also fill in for midfielders – as he was supposed to do against Manchester United before being forced off within three minutes. The former Aston Villa man has been unlucky with injuries at Newcastle and looks set for another spell on the sidelines as the festive fixtures begin to come one after another in the next two months.
Howe will likely slot Dan Burn straight back into his starting place whilst also turning to the likes of Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall to provide cover in the versatile full-back/wing-back hybrid roles.
Targett, meanwhile, will be looking to get back as soon as possible and fight for his place. At his best, the left-back has impressed at the club, earning the praise of The Athletic's Chris Waugh, who posted on X last year that the former Aston Villa player was "very good" during a clash against Liverpool.