League Cup quarter-final:

Newcastle 2

Fulham 1

GALWAY YOUNGSTER Alex Murphy made his fourth senior appearance for Newcastle, as they beat Fulham 2-1 to reach the League Cup semi-finals tonight.

The Ireland U21 international featured off the bench for his second appearance of the campaign — with the other one also coming as a substitute in the same competition amid 4-1 defeat of Bradford.

The ex-Galway United player made 13 appearances in League One at Bolton Wanderers last season, but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by at the Magpies.

Murphy also made two substitute Premier League appearances during the 2023-24 campaign.

Lewis Miley’s stoppage-time header sent Carabao Cup holders Newcastle into the semis.

Yoane Wissa, making his first full start since arriving on Tyneside in the summer, put the Magpies in front with his maiden goal for the club, but Sasa Lukic soon nodded the Cottagers level.

The game looked set for penalties after a cagey second half, but 19-year-old Miley headed home from a corner to secure Newcastle’s spot in the final four as they bounced back from their derby defeat to Sunderland at the weekend.

Fulham sniffed around the Newcastle box in the early stages, and Raul Jimenez looped an effort wide, but despite the visitors’ positive start, the Magpies took the lead in the 10th minute.

In a quick move stemming from Fabian Schar’s brilliant cross-field pass into Jacob Murphy, the winger hit a low cross into the six-yard area, which was palmed away by Benjamin Lecomte into the path of Wissa to stab home.

Fulham responded six minutes later when skipper Joachim Andersen lofted the ball into Antonee Robinson on the left, and he crossed into the box, where an unmarked Lukic burst forward to nod past Aaron Ramsdale.

Wissa had another chance but mistimed his header, and Kevin had an effort saved by Ramsdale at the opposite end in a close battle.

Bruno Guimaraes came close to extending Newcastle’s lead when his curling shot was saved by Lecomte, and the rebound dropped to Murphy, but Fulham were eventually able to scramble his cross away before Tino Livramento fired wide.

Another Murphy cross was stabbed clear by Jorge Cuenca, and Wissa was unable to meet Harvey Barnes’ ball into the area as Newcastle looked to strike before the break.

The Magpies started the second half brightly, and following some good movement around the area, Barnes forced a low save from Lecomte before Fulham cleared Miley’s corner.

Andersen turned the ball into his own net from Murphy’s cross in the 65th minute, but the goal was chalked off with the Newcastle winger offside, and Livramento had an effort held before Ramsdale made a comfortable claim from Emile Smith Rowe’s strike.

Sandro Tonali and Nick Woltemade were brought on for the hosts, while Fulham turned to Josh King and Adama Traore.

But Eddie Howe was handed another blow to his already thinly stretched defensive backline when Livramento was forced off after receiving treatment on the pitch, with Alex Murphy coming on in the 76th minute.

A cagey final 10 minutes saw Malick Thiaw clear Harry Wilson’s free-kick and Wilson burst forward on the break, but had his cross nodded away by Schar.

Newcastle pushed for a winner, with Guimaraes having a cross cleared before Lecomte made a low save from Miley’s effort.

The teenager found the winner from the resulting corner with a flicked header looping into the net from Tonali’s delivery in the second minute of additional time.

A late surge from Fulham saw Kenny Tete fire a powerful strike over the crossbar, but Newcastle managed the final moments to book their spot in the semi-finals.

Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy