Newcastle United edge past Millwall as Lewis Hall decision pays off for Matthias Jaissle

Newcastle United maintained their unbeaten start under Matthias Jaissle after Joe Willock’s late goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Millwall at The Den.

It was far from Newcastle’s most convincing performance under their new head coach. The Magpies controlled possession and created plenty of opportunities, but their lack of quality in the final third nearly proved costly.

Newcastle finished with 63 per cent possession and 25 attempts, yet Millwall came agonisingly close to taking the lead when Tairyk Aconte raced through and struck the post.

That escape proved decisive.

Substitute Matias Fernandez-Pardo released Lewis Hall down the left before the England international produced an excellent cut-back for Willock, who finished beyond Filip Marschall to send Newcastle into the last 16.

Hall entered the game on his 22nd birthday having agreed a new contract with Newcastle, and his decisive contribution underlined why keeping him was such an important piece of summer business.

Manchester United had identified Hall as their leading left-back target, but Newcastle refused to entertain a sale despite a summer of major departures that included Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier.

Against Millwall, Hall provided exactly the quality Newcastle had been missing.

Fernandez-Pardo deserves credit for creating the opening, but Hall’s perfectly weighted delivery allowed Willock to convert the winner.

Newcastle spent heavily rebuilding Jaissle’s squad and brought in eight players, but retaining Hall could prove every bit as significant.

His performances will also keep him firmly in contention for Thomas Tuchel’s next England squad.

Another significant takeaway came in goal.

With Ewen Jaouen unavailable after rolling his ankle in training, there had been the possibility of Nick Pope returning to the starting XI.

Instead, Jaissle kept faith with Lukas Hornicek.

Pope had already been informed during Newcastle’s pre-season trip to Spain that he was not part of Jaissle’s long-term plans. The club were unable to find a suitable move during the summer, leaving the 34-year-old behind Hornicek and Jaouen in the goalkeeper hierarchy.

Pope also has less than a year remaining on his Newcastle contract.

Unless injuries force Jaissle’s hand, his omission at Millwall suggests opportunities could now be extremely limited before another potential departure is explored in January.

Yoane Wissa being handed the captain’s armband was another notable decision from Jaissle.

The forward has impressed with his performances since arriving at Newcastle, but his first captaincy also reflects the leadership role he has developed behind the scenes.

With experienced players such as Jacob Murphy and Fabian Schar in the team, Jaissle choosing Wissa was significant.

It suggests the DR Congo international is already becoming one of the influential figures within Newcastle’s rebuilt dressing room.

Jaissle also experimented with his midfield by starting Jacob Ramsey alongside Nico Gonzalez.

Ramsey had made a major impact from the bench against Bournemouth, scoring Newcastle’s equaliser, and his inclusion against Millwall offered the Magpies additional control.

The question now is how Jaissle structures the midfield against Leeds.

Gonzalez and Lewis Miley had appeared to be developing into his preferred partnership after impressing against Tottenham, while Ramsey’s performances are increasingly difficult to ignore.

That competition should give Jaissle several options as Newcastle attempt to build momentum in the Premier League.

Jaissle inherited considerable expectations in this competition following Newcastle’s excellent Carabao Cup record under Eddie Howe.

Howe reached the 2023 final, won the trophy in 2024/25 and guided Newcastle to another semi-final last season.

Jaissle has significant cup pedigree himself after winning the Austrian Cup with RB Salzburg and consecutive Asian Champions League titles with Al-Ahli.

His team were not at their best at The Den, but cup football is ultimately about progressing.

Newcastle have done exactly that and remain unbeaten under their new manager.

Newcastle can now concentrate on their Premier League trip to Leeds on Monday before discovering their Carabao Cup fourth-round opponents.

Jaissle has successfully navigated his first two rounds of the competition and remains unbeaten since taking charge. Newcastle are now three victories away from another Wembley final.