With three minutes left before kick-off, the Carabao Cup holders were eager to begin, while a puzzled Kieran Trippier looked around wondering where Manchester City’s players were.
Pep Guardiola’s side had yet to appear.
When the hosts finally emerged from the dressing room, they wasted little time in leaving Newcastle stunned, surging into a 3-0 lead during the second leg of the semi-final.
On a day when chief executive David Hopkinson reiterated his belief that Newcastle will be challenging for major honours by 2030, the visitors looked far from that level in the opening half.
Head coach Eddie Howe made his feelings clear in the dressing room, introducing three substitutions at the interval.
“I was really angry,” he admitted.
Not for the first time.
Newcastle showed some response after the restart and pulled a goal back through substitute Anthony Elanga, but they exited the competition with a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
Despite the result, the 5,400 travelling supporters repeatedly sang “Eddie Howe’s black and white army”, paying tribute to the manager who had ended the club’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy in this same tournament.
Even so, this campaign has been a difficult one for Newcastle, and there is little sign that the struggles are easing.
The club is clearly in a period of change
In truth, Newcastle have yet to truly ignite six months into the season.
That may sound surprising.
They have reached a third EFL Cup semi-final in four years.
Howe’s side remain favourites to progress past Qarabag into the Champions League last 16.
They could still return to Wembley via the FA Cup, although a challenging fourth-round tie against Aston Villa awaits next week.
Yet Newcastle currently sit 11th in the Premier League.
Earlier in the season, players spoke about making history again by becoming the first Newcastle team to qualify for the Champions League in consecutive campaigns.
Instead, their away form has been poor, with only two top-flight victories on the road so far.
Howe’s team have collected just 11 points from a possible 36 against sides positioned above them in the table.
They have also dropped 16 points from winning positions.
The season has felt like one of transition, particularly after the damaging departure of leading scorer Alexander Isak, and Howe’s answer was revealing when asked whether he accepted that label.
“I can,” he said. “Transition in the team is obvious because we brought players in during the summer and also lost players.
“There was always going to be change. Change doesn’t have to be negative — it can be positive. We are trying to find the flow and rhythm that we’ve been searching for all season.
“In terms of the club, it is growing and evolving all the time and will probably continue to do so rapidly over the next few years. The club is definitely in transition — but in a positive direction, in my opinion.”
New signings still settling in
There have been encouraging moments in recent weeks.
A dominant first-half display against Chelsea, a spirited performance away to Paris St-Germain, and a strong opening spell at Anfield all offered signs of promise.
But matches are not decided in brief spells alone.
Coaching staff have been frustrated by the lack of training time during an exhausting run of fixtures, which has limited their ability to fully work on tactical issues as they have in previous difficult periods.
Instead, preparation has relied heavily on meetings, video analysis and walk-through sessions.
This is part of life for clubs aiming to compete on multiple fronts, but for Newcastle, fighting in four competitions heading into February was something entirely new.
The relentless schedule has taken its toll — Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Tino Livramento and Fabian Schar are currently sidelined, while Anthony Gordon limped off with a hamstring problem on Wednesday night.
It has also slowed the adaptation of Newcastle’s summer signings who, aside from defender Malick Thiaw, are still adjusting to life at the club.
Thiaw, Jacob Ramsey, Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa all arrived in the final weeks of a chaotic transfer window, during which the club operated without a sporting director and missed out on several key targets.
Remarkably, Newcastle are still searching for a settled attacking combination despite investing £179m in forwards.
Elanga impressed after coming on at the Etihad, but Woltemade was withdrawn at half-time — having not scored since December — while an out-of-form Wissa missed several good chances across both legs.
It leaves Newcastle facing more uncertainty than clarity as they enter a crucial run of fixtures.
“Where does that leave our season?” Howe asked. “We are still competing on several fronts.
“The games keep coming one after another. There is no pause for us. We have to get back to winning as quickly as possible. That’s the only thing that brings fresh energy.”
