Newcastle moved a step closer to claiming a first major domestic trophy since 1955 with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of the English League Cup semi-finals.

Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) put Newcastle within reach of the final at Wembley Stadium in March. The second leg is at St James' Park on February 5.

"It's a great result. It's only the first half. If we don't go through then this has no meaning, but we can't hide from the fact that this is a massive win," Isak said after the match.

It was Newcastle's first win at the Emirates since 2010 and Arsenal's first home defeat since April.

Isak struck in the 37th minute to continue his outstanding scoring run with his 14th goal in 15 games.

The Sweden international was also involved in Newcastle's second in the 51st minute, when his shot was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and the rebound was converted by Gordon.

Despite being bought by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund in 2021, Newcastle haven't won a major domestic trophy since lifting the FA Cup almost 70 years ago. But they are close to a second League Cup final in three years after losing to Manchester United in 2023.

Newcastle are also pushing for a return to the Champions League after missing out last season. They are fifth in the Premier League standings and one point outside the automatic qualifying places for European club soccer's elite tournament.

Victory against Arsenal was a seventh straight win in all competitions for Eddie Howe's team, inspired by Isak's brilliant goal-scoring form.

He fired in off the underside of the crossbar from close range after a long free kick was played into his path by Jacob Murphy.

It was Isak's seventh goal in his past five games.Despite in-stadium referee announcements being trialled for the match, an apparent push in the build-up to his goal did not result in referee Craig Pawson reviewing the sideline monitor.

It was Isak's sharpness that led to Newcastle's second. His effort from inside the box six minutes into the second half was parried by Raya, but Gordon was the quickest to react at the far post to fire home.

Arsenal were unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions and are second in the Premier League standings.

They had the chance to take the lead when Gabriel Martinelli burst through in the 29th minute and fired against the post.

Kai Havertz wasted a golden opportunity to pull a goal back when his attempted header from directly in front of goal came off his shoulder and went wide.

"We rode our luck a little bit at times, but (I'm) really pleased with the result," Howe said.

Tottenham play Liverpool in the other semi-final, with the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT).