Newcastle United’s pre-match buffoonemeries work almost perfectly against Arsenal

Newcastle United welcomed Arsenal to St James’ Park for the second stage of the Carabao Cup semi-final, seeking to keep its 2-0 lead from the first stage.

Underworked a cauldron stadium, there was a bubbling atmosphere in the ground long before kick -off, and the Magpies added it in style.

Before the match, Newcastle had Johnny “Blue Hat” Davis to put the fans in the mood with an interpretation of Local Hero.

It worked almost perfectly, Alexander Isak pulling the hosts in front of a few minutes, only for Var to exclude him for offside.

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