The Swedish national team star Alexander Isak is scoring goals for Newcastle in the Premier League (stands at 17 goals), but coach Eddie Howe chose to place the 25-year-old on the bench away against Birmingham in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The home team – which tops the English third league – got a dream start. Already after 40 seconds, it hit the back of Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope after Ethan Laird found the right spot in connection with a corner.
However, Joe Willock and Callum Wilson turned it around to a 2–1 lead for the away team, but Tomoki Iwata made it 2–2 before the halftime break.
It looked like the match would go to extra time, but in the 82nd minute, Willock scored his second goal of the evening and Newcastle advanced to the fifth round.
In the end, Alexander Isak had to leave the bench, but it was a tactical substitution. The striker came on in the 14th minute of added time and a couple of minutes later, the match was blown off.
When Newcastle went to the final in the League Cup last week, national team defender Emil Krafth jumped in with ten ordinary minutes left of the meeting with Arsenal. It was his first minutes on the pitch since he had shoulder surgery nearly three months ago.
Against Birmingham, Krafth played the entire match as a center back.
