Joe Willock's late finish at The Den came with nine minutes left and sent Newcastle through after a tense cup night at Millwall. [Matthias Jaissle] said the performance was about patience, toughness, second balls and being efficient in front of goal, and the result fit that script. Newcastle also kept a clean sheet in a hard-fought tie.

The clean sheet and the late scare

Millwall nearly forced the issue just before the winner when T. Arconte hit the post. That chance came before Willock's decisive touch, which is why the late goal felt more like a relief than a flourish.

Lewis Hall, speaking to Sky Sports, said: "There was a lot of negativity before everything happened and as soon as the gaffer came in, he's been top, as well as all of the coaching staff. The way he's got us playing is amazing and I can speak on behalf of everyone - we're really enjoying playing under him. We knew it was going to be tough. Whenever you come away in the cup, anything can happen, so we're really proud of the win and to keep a clean sheet as well."

Willock's own reading was similar. He told Sky Sports: "We had a lot of chances in the first half, but we said at half-time that we needed to take our chances. Thankfully, in the second half we did, we got a goal and won the game. We won this competition before so it's very important to us. We've got a new coach and a lot of new players and we wanted to start the season well. I feel like we started it really well. We need to continue, and this was a big game in keeping that momentum."

Willock's role in the early weeks

Willock has made only 3 appearances across all competitions this season, and he has 1 goal, the one that settled this tie. His season rating is 6.79, which fits a player who has not been central every week but has still produced the kind of moment Newcastle wanted on a difficult night.

Jaissle's comments also pointed to the broader mood around the squad. He called Willock's work excellent, said there is potential in him, and added that the team showed unity on and off the pitch after a short time together. Newcastle head to Leeds next, with this win already tied to how the club want to handle cup games under their new coach.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →