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Mohammed Kudus won the Billy Big Balls Award last night, towards the end of the clash between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park.

Newcastle United were comfortably 2-0 up as the game neared its conclusion, and the frustration on the Spurs players was certainly starting to show; and it wasn't going to take much to light the touch paper.

Enter Joelinton. The Brazilian came off the bench late on and immediately set about doing what he does best - clattering the opposition.

It didn't take long for J7 to find himself in the referee's book after a Martial Arts manoeuvre on Mohammed Kudus, which saw the Spurs player react by squaring up to Joelinton - not something a rational man should ever do. It took several players to peel Joelinton away from the situation, while both Joelinton and Kudus were handed bookings for their behaviour.

Chris Kavanagh explains why Joelinton didn't see red versus Tottenham

When the replay of the initial challenge was shown, Kudus' reaction was actually understandable, as it had looked like Joelinton had scissored the winger to bring him down and then almost got a piggyback when Kudus tried to get up.

However, former referee Mark Clattenberg has told TBR Football why a yellow card was the appropriate response from referee Chris Kavanagh.

“It does not feel fair that Joelinton, for his challenge, was given the same punishment as Mohammed Kudus. Joelinton’s challenge was certainly reckless and was a scissor action which tripped his opponent.

“To meet the criteria of a red card, however, there needs to be some force and malice used, which this challenge lacked and therefore did not endanger the safety of his opponent. Nevertheless, it does not feel right that Kudos received the same punishment after being on the end of that tackle.”

A booking each seemed fair to us

We're not sure we agree that it was unfair that they received the same punishment. Kudus' reaction, while maybe justified, was still yellow card-worthy.

To be fair to the referee, and indeed both sets of players, the situation was calmed down quickly before it got out of hand.

Still, we'd always back Joey in those situations. Have you seen the man's biceps?

Newcastle United booked their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw after beating Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park.

The Magpies nabbed a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Fabian Schar and Nick Woltemade, and looked strong for the entire game and were worthy of their win.

Newcastle remain on track to retain their Carabao Cup crown, and Eddie Howe's record in the competition is now 19 games and just two defeats, one of which was, of course, in the final in 2023.

There were some big teams in the draw with the Magpies and just one non-Premier League side in the form of Cardiff.

Newcastle United handed another home tie in the Carabao Cup

The draw took place after the game at St James' Park, and Newcastle were drawn at home once again, with Saturday's vanquished foes, Fulham, set to come to St James' Park.

Elsewhere, Cardiff picked up a home tie against Chelsea, who made hard work of their win over Wolves tonight.

Crystal Palace's reward for knocking out Liverpool is a trip to Arsenal, while Manchester City take on Brentford at the Etihad.

We couldn't have been much happier with that draw

We're fairly happy with that draw. In fact, the only way we'd be happier is if we'd drawn Cardiff at home, so we have a pretty good shot at reaching the semi-final again.

Could the defence be on? It was a shame that City and Chelsea avoided each other, but taking in-form Crystal Palace or Arsenal out of ht mix is a good thing.

Not a bad night all in all, eh?

Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur clash in the Carabao Cup tonight at St James' Park with an 8 pm kick-off live on ITV and Sky Sports.

The holders, Newcastle, will be hoping to progress at the expense of Spurs in a bid to become the first side to retain the cup since Manchester City won it four times in a row from 2017/2018 to 2020/2021.

Spurs won't roll over and make it easy for Newcastle, though, with more Premier League sides treating the cup with respect these days.

It's a hard game to call, which is why we'll leave the predictions to the pundits.

Joe Cole thinks Newcastle will edge it against Tottenham

Joe Cole has made his prediction to Paddy Power (via The Mag) and he's expecting a home win under the lights at St James' Park.

“I’m just coming down on Newcastle to win against Tottenham.

“I watched both first hand in Europe recently and I just feel that Newcastle are a bit stronger in terms of depth.

“Sandro Tonali, for example, didn’t play at the weekend and it’ll be buzzing as it always is at St James’ Park.

“Don’t forget they’re the holders of this so I fancy them to win 2-1.

“Newcastle to win and both teams to score…”

We don't care how we do it as long as we're in that draw tonight

We'd happily take a 2-1 win, or a 1-0 win, a win on penalties, whatever it takes to keep the cup dream alive.

The wins against Benfica and Fulham should have us brimming with confidence, but that performance against Fulham, especially the middle of the game, has us worried, as does Spurs' win at the weekend against Everton.

It really could go either way, which is why we hope Joe Cole's prediction of a buzzing St James' Park comes true. Carabao Cup fixtures can often produce flat atmospheres, but here's hoping this is the exception tonight.

HOWAY EDDIE HOWE'S LEAGUE CUP-LOVING MAGS!

Thomas Frank brings his Tottenham Hotspur side to St James' Park tonight to take on Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup live on Sky Sports and ITV at 8 pm.

The Magpies are, of course, trying to defend their League Cup crown, but Spurs will be feeling confident they can put themselves in the draw for the quarter finals after inflicting Everton's first defeat at their new stadium on Sunday.

The quarter-final draw will take place after the Newcastle v Spurs game, as all other ties kick off 15 minutes earlier.

Newcastle had to take the hard route to lifting the trophy last year, and after drawing Spurs in the fourth round, it looks like we'll have to do it again if we want to retain our title.

Thomas Frank wants the League Cup to ditch the two-legged semi-finals

Speaking ahead of tonight's game, Thomas Frank has called for a change to the rules in the latter stages of the competition, hoping to see the semi-finals switched to a one-leg affair rather than two.

"There should only be one semi-final. I said that before at Brentford and that's why I'm very happy to say it again. For the smaller clubs, if you want to beat a bigger club, it's much much easier to play only one game.

"So if we really want someone to break out and it's not the same boring same teams that are winning - of course, except for Spurs - then we need to skip one semi-final. For everyone else that plays so many games, it should only be one.

"So if it's about money then someone needs to fix it. If it's the Premier League paying money to the EFL, because as far as I understand it's because of that, so someone fix it. It should be very very easy.”

We have to disagree with Mr Frank on this one

We're not sure we agree with Frank on this one. The tension of playing a semi-final over two legs is amazing. It's what football is all about. You can take a good lead into the second leg, but you still have those nerves that keep things exciting.

As for him saying it gives the smaller clubs a chance and keeps things fresh ... we lifted the trophy last year. We hadn't done that before until then. Yes, we were finalists two years prior, but that was the first time since the 70s.

We're team two legs over here, how about you?

Eddie Howe is expected to rotate his squad for Wednesday night's game under the lights at St James' Park as Tottenham Hotspur come to de-throne Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.

The game kicks off at 8 pm on Wednesday and is live on Sky Sports and ITV as the Magpies look to retain their League Cup title.

Eddie Howe made use of his squad in the last round against Bradford, and we expect him to do the same again on Wednesday; however, we may have taken things a bit too far with our selections.

We've made nine changes to the personnel and one change to a player's position, so technically we've made 10 changes. Would Eddie Howe be so bold? We doubt it.

Goalkeeper

Aaron Ramsdale - The on-loan keeper started in the previous round against Bradford, and we think he'll get the nod again tomorrow.

Defenders

Emil Krafth - We were going to stick with Kieran Trippier, but the lad's getting on a bit and Krafth is right there, so why not?

Fabian Schar - Came off the bench for Sven Botman on Saturday and will be itching to get back into the starting lineup after losing his place to Malick Thiaw.

Dan Burn - We'll bring Burn in from the left to replace Sven Botman, who might be rested after picking up a head injury on Saturday.

Alex Murphy - Eddie Howe has a lot of time for the youngster, and this would be a good opportunity to see what he could do in a high-pressure game. (We don't think this one will actually happen. Thiaw is likely to start with Burn at LB)

Midfielders

Lewis Miley - The youngster is enjoying his run in the side, and there's no need to drop him now.

Sandro Tonali - The Italian will be fresher than his midfield counterparts after missing most of Saturday's game and the entire game against Benfica.

Jacob Ramsey - We've yet to really get a proper look at Ramsey, but he's looked decent so far.

Forwards

Anthony Elanga - Keep on trying.

Will Osula - The perfect stage for him to prove himself.

Harvey Barnes - Two goals against Benfica. He's definitely going to be eager to prove himself to Eddie Howe.

All of these changes will mean that Eddie Howe will have an unbelievably strong bench at his disposal should these changes not work.

We're not convinced Howe will go with as many changes as we have, especially as we're going up against Premier League opposition, but for us it's about showing that we have the depth to do this now, and this is with injuries to contend with.

Newcastle United host Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup, live on ITV and Sky Sports, kick-off time is 8 pm.

Tottenham demolished Everton 3-0 on Sunday, handing the Toffees their first taste of defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

That away performance will stand them in good stead heading up to the North East for the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, giving Eddie Howe plenty to think about when it comes to naming his team.

Thomas Frank will also have some decisions to make when it comes to selecting how strong a side he wants to put out in the early stages of the competition.

Thomas Frank names three players who are out of the Newcastle clash

Managers like to change things up for the cup games to keep their biggest players fresh for the Premier League and Europe, but injuries can often force them into playing players they'd rather have kept out of it.

Frank told Spurs’ official website there are three players who definitely will not be involved on Wednesday night after admitting they picked up no further issues against Everton.

“No, all good from the guys that played yesterday.

“Dom [Solanke] stepped forward, step by step. Cuti [Romero] on the pitch today, not a timeframe. Destiny [Udogie] on the pitch as well today. Three steps forward.”

Eddie Howe will send his out to win on Wednesday

The absences of Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie will cut down the options available to Thomas Frank, but it doesn't mean that they're going to be a pushover by any means.

It's going to be a very tight game for Newcastle, especially as we're expecting several changes to our lineup.

One thing we do know is that Eddie Howe will treat the Carabao Cup with respect, so he won't make any unnecessary changes and will put out a team he genuinely thinks can win.

Newcastle United were drawn against Premier League opposition for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup last 16 after they saw off Bradford City at St James' Park on Wednesday night.

The Magpies were drawn as the home side once again by Jamie Redknapp, but rather than being handed one of the lower-league teams still in the competition, Newcastle will face fellow Champions League side Tottenham Hotspur next month, as Michael Brown drew the away side.

It already has shades of last season, where Newcastle had to overcome the best the Premier League had to offer on the way to Wembley before beating the eventual Premier League champions.

Newcastle don't like to do things the easy way, and drawing Tottenham, things definitely won't be easy.

Jamie O'Hara says Tottenham go the worst possible draw

However, if TalkSPORT's Jamie O'Hara's reaction to the draw is anything to go by, it's the Spurs fans who should be more worried.

“Michael Brown!. Honestly, Michael Brown, what are you doing? We’ve got the draw going on and I’m fuming with Michael Brown right now. He’s pulled Tottenham out the hat to Newcastle away.

“Honestly, it’s just so annoying. That is probably one of the hardest fixtures in the whole draw. We’re playing Newcastle. That is a tough game. I don’t think we go there and win. We’re playing the holders. I’m disappointed with Michael Brown.”

Newcastle have six games to hone their goal-scoring craft before facing Spurs

The Magpies have six more games between now and when they take on Spurs in the Carabao Cup, which should be enough time to hone their craft up front.

Newcastle scored four against Bradford last night, which was as many goals in one game as they'd amassed all season prior to that game.

We know we have what it takes to beat any team put in front of us, but it's all about finding that goal-scoring touch for Eddie Howe right now; that's our only concern. Once that clicks, there'll be no stopping us.

Ever since Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi were pushed out of Newcastle United last year, there have been plenty of rumours that their journey in the world of Football is far from over.

At one point last season, there were some strong rumours that Amanda Staveley was raising funds to buy into Tottenham Hotspur, and there was a lot of evidence to back this up, with the financier having been spotted in meetings with Spurs club officials.

Now, after executive chairman Daniel Levy's shock resignation last week, there's a power vacuum to be filled at the London club, and obviously, Staveley's name has come up in the conversation.

It now looks as though the former Newcastle United co-owner is set to release a statement today addressing the rumours.

Amanda Staveley is not launching a bid for Tottenham

The BBC have already reported that Spurs insist the club is not for sale amid reports of bids having already been made, with Spurs putting out a statement on Sunday night.

"The Board of the Club and ENIC confirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC has no intention to accept any such offer to acquire its interest in the Club,"

Now, Amanda Staveley is expected to follow that up with a statement of her own stating that she has no interest in buying Tottenham, according to Sky Sports.

We're glad there's no truth to the rumours of a Staveley-led bid for Tottenham

A lot of Newcastle fans didn't want to see Amanda Staveley leave the club in the first place, and there has been a notable downturn in trust in the club since her departure.

It would be painful to watch Staveley take over another club, especially one in the Premier League and seeing another fanbase benefit from her hands-on approach.

The financier and her husband were the link between the fans and the club, a public face who always seemed to have time for the fans. After being ousted, the communication between the club and the fans became practically non-existent beyond the Premier League-led Fan Advisory Board engagement. Now that David Hopkinson has taken over as CEO, we hope that these communication lines are opened again, but we won't hold our breath.

Newcastle United avoided another pre-season defeat, hanging on to a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at the Korean National Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

In what was Son Heung-min's last game for Tottenham, the game became almost like a testimonial to the South Korean hero, especially when you consider the scenes following his withdrawal in the second half. Son hugged every single Spurs player and staff member with the backdrop of a raucous ovation from the Korean support. It was a great moment for one of the sport's nicest people.

As for the game itself, Newcastle started the game really slowly and Spurs took full advantage, scoring after just four minutes through Brennan Johnson.

Red flags were raised very early on when a Nick Pope clearance spooned off his trotter and went out for a corner in a move that almost defied physics. Fortunately, the first-choice stopper more than made up for that error later on with a fine save when one-on-one with Mathys Tel.

Harvey Barnes came to Newcastle's rescue

The Magpies grew into the game and started to look the bigger threat, eventually grabbing the goal they deserved for their domination on 38 minutes.

Harvey Barnes picked up the ball on the left flank, cut inside and fired a low, hard shot into the corner at the near post. A typical Harvey Barnes goal, if ever there was one.

The game lost a lot of momentum in the second half as both managers made a raft of changes, taking all of the urgency out of the game.

There were. however, several incidents throughout the game would have onlookers questioning the 'friendly' nature of the game, with Bruno Guimaraes and Cristian Romero almost coming to blows, and there were a few other full-blooded moments. Joelinton, of course, threw his weight around at times to add to the feistiness of the game.th

Newcastle really need that striker situation sorted

One thing that became screamingly apparent was how much Newcastle badly need a striker. After 12 attempts at goal and only two on target, the outlook is certainly not great.

Hopefully, though, we're moving towards a conclusion on the striker front, and with a bit of luck, it will be resolved this week ahead of the Sela weekender, but at least we hope it's resolved before the season opener.

Newcastle will return home tomorrow, and that means Eddie Howe will soon sit down with Alexander Isak, and we'll start to get a clearer picture of what is going on, hopefully.

Newcastle United wrap up their Asian tour with a game against Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in Seoul, South Korea.

The Magpies will debut the new green change kit, which will sport Korean-inspired lettering on the back for the names and numbers.

Eddie Howe has made several changes to the lineup that started against Team K-League on Wednesday, with this XI probably looking like the weaker of the two by virtue of having no recognised striker.

We suspect Anthony Gordon will be playing through the middle with Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy flanking him, but Gordon is hardly a centre-forward; we'd probably have preferred to have seen youngster Sean Neave start to give him a proper run out.

Just the four goalkeepers on the bench this time out

Matt Targett gets a rare start in a back four that sees Fabian Schar reinstated alongside Dan Burn.

Joelinton and Bruno line up side by side in the middle, along with Lewis Miley, as Sandro Tonali sits this one out on the bench.

The injury Joe Willock picked up on Wednesday is expected to keep him out for up to six weeks, so there's no place for him in the squad, meaning Eddie Howe has named four goalkeepers on the bench.

Give us more Park Seung-soo

It would be nice to end the Asia tour with a win, but at the end of the day, it's still all about fitness and building up match sharpness.

We can save the pre-season wins for the two games at St James' Park next weekend to boost the confidence heading into the Premier League season in two weeks' time.

Let's just enjoy this one, and we're going to hope that Park Seung-soo gets on the pitch again, hopefully for a bit longer this time. We're dying to see more of the Korean youngster.