Miley leaves it late as Magpies make it 12 League Cup wins on the spin to seal semis spot

RIGHT ON TIME: Newcastle United's Lewis Miley (right) celebrates with his team mates after scoring his sides second goal during the Carabao Cup quarter final match at St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Newcastle United 2 Fulham 1 

ATONEMENT arrived at the death for Newcastle as the holders maintained their proud recent record in the Carabao Cup in the most dramatic style.

If it's late goals you're after, the Magpies are your team as for the second time in a little over six weeks they did for Fulham here with barely any time for the visitors to respond.

It's now 18 goals either conceded or scored in the final 10 minutes of games this season after Lewis Miley put one in the credit column to secure a 12th consecutive home win in the competition stretching back for more than four years.

An increasingly nervy tie was well into stoppage time when the young midfielder, who impressed as a stand-in full-back, rose highest at the near post to glance home a Sandro Tonali corner to break Fulham hearts and secure a third semi-final appearance in four years for Eddie Howe's side.

The contest looked destined for penalties after Sasa Lukic cancelled out an early Yoane Wissa's early opener before Miley's late intervention helped to heal some of the wounds inflicted by the shocking no-show in Sunday's derby defeat at Sunderland.

Wissa, one of half-a-dozen changes, including a new front three, made a near instant impact by finding the net 10 minutes into his first start three months after his injury-punctuated £55m move from Brentford.

The DR Congo international's first domestic goal for seven months came against the run of play and gift-wrapped from Benjamin Lecomte.

Fulham's French keeper should either have collected or left a crisply struck low cross from Jacob Murphy, but instead scooped it straight to Wissa who gleefully poked it home from inside the six-yard box with the kind of predatory skills largely absent from the post-Alexander Isak Mpagies.

The advantage lasted just six minutes as Newcastle paid for a lack of basic defensive diligence.

Joachim Andersen's crossfield pass found Antonee Robinson by the left side of the area. The full-back was given far too much time to ping in a cross which found an unmarked Sasa Lukic to send a thumping header past Aaron Ramsdale from 12 yards.

The Serbia international has scored two goals this season, and both of them have been at St James' Park although it was to be the midfielder's last significant contribution as he was forced off at half-time with a groin injury.

Lecomte continued to look the weak link in an otherwise tidy showing from the visitors, and narrowly escaped further embarrassment when failing to catch a Bruno Guimaraes shot as his unconvincing punch was fortunate to evade three follow-ing up black and white shirts.

An open contest continued in a similar fashion after the break, although clear cut chances proved hard to come by for both sides as Newcastle's Galway-born Republic of Ireland defender Alex Murphy came on for the injured Tino Livramento.

Andersen diverted Jacob Murphy's cross into his own net midway through the second half, but the Fulham skipper was saved by the Newcastle winger straying offside in the build-up.

Lecomte produced a stunning save low to his right to keep out Miley's effort but from the resulting corner the youngster decided it in dramatic style to go a little way to help soothe the scars of Sunday.

Newcastle (4-3-3): Ramsdale 6; Miley 8, Thiaw 6, Schar 6, Livramento 7(A Murphy 76, 6); J Murphy 6 (Elanga 85, 6), Guimaraes 6, Ramsey 5; Barnes 6 (Gordon 85, 6), Wissa 7 (Woltemade 72, 5), Willock 5 (Tonali 72, 5). Booked: Schar, Woltemade.

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Lecomte 5; Tete 6, Andersen 6, Cuenca 6, Robinson 7; Berge 6 (Kusi-Asare 90, 5), Lukic 7 (Reed 46, 6); Wilson 6, Smith-Rowe 4 (King 74, ), Kevin 4 (Traore 74, 5); Jimenez 5. Booked: Lukic.

Referee: Darren England Ends