The Magpies’ recent struggles in the Premier League have seen them place priority on the cup competitions of late, and they promptly took an early lead on Saturday night through Harvey Barnes.

However, Pep Guardiola’s side roared back as the game wore on, with a goal from Savinho and an Omar Marmoush double eventually helping them to book their place in the sixth round.

Newcastle continue their campaign with a hugely important Champions League clash against Barcelona on Tuesday night, but it was matters away from the pitch that have dominated the focus since their FA Cup exit.

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Newcastle fans demand bans for their fellow supporters

St James’ Park is famous for creating an intimidating atmosphere for away teams, but City were able to navigate their way through that and emerge victorious on Saturday.

Several Magpies fans have questioned the attitude of some of their fellow supporters, with footage shared on the FA Cup’s official X account drawing fury from the Geordies.

The clip showed City star Antoine Semenyo signing City shirts and taking photos with fans in the home end prior to kick-off, and it certainly hasn’t gone down well with the Newcastle faithful.

They took to X to share their frustrations towards the footage, with several demanding that the club implement bans for the fans in question.

The footage was branded “embarrassing” by one supporter, while another labelled it as “pathetic.” There were also multiple people who pointed out that Semenyo even used to play for Newcastle’s bitter rivals, Sunderland.

• @craigh1307: “Top-flight football is a total farce now, this is the home end.”
• @dalemarriner: “Newcastle fans getting autographs from an ex-Sunderland player.”
• @David8013970351: “Everything that’s wrong with our fanbase mental how they actually get a ticket.”

Newcastle’s priority now clear

Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness recently told Football Insider that Newcastle must build a new stadium if they are to become one of Europe’s leading clubs, and consistently deep runs in the Champions League will also help that cause.

Howe and Co. would have fancied their chances of progressing to the latter stages of the FA Cup this year, but after Saturday’s disappointment, it is clear that all their eggs must now go into one basket.

The Magpies are nine points adrift of the European places in the Premier League at the moment, so success on the continent appears to be the final way for them to be able to take something positive out of their campaign.

The upcoming two-leg clash with Barcelona has effectively just become the biggest occasion of the season so far, with all other avenues now closed off.

Newcastle breezed through the play-off round with a comfortable aggregate victory over Qarabag, but they are now faced with the daunting prospect of trying to down a genuine member of Europe’s elite.

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