2 mins Kenedy was beaten a bit too easily down the right by Sam Byram and his cross was perfect for Daryl Murphy at the near post to head past Karl Darlow into the far corner. The former Magpie chose not to celebrate in front of the away fans behind that goal. 0-1

Half time: Forest 1 Magpies 0

90+2 mins All three Newcastle substitutes combined as Salomon Rondon played the ball inside to Jacob Murphy who found Ayoze Perez on the edge of the box. 

He slotted the ball through for Rondon who looked offside on the right hand side of the area. However the nearside linesman made a great call (as footage showed later) and the number nine steadied himself before finding the far corner of the net in front of the away fans. 1-1

90+4 mins Matty Cash drilled the ball home from ten yards out after Karl Darlow pushed a Gil Dias cross straight to the midfielder. Gil Dias had kept the ball in down the left before sending over the cross that Darlow parried into the path of Cash, whose shot evaded Clark on the line. 1-2

90+7 mins Dias took advantage of Kenedy's mis-control to end the tie with a chip over Darlow who had come to the edge of his area. 1-3

Full time: Forest 3 Magpies 1

Rafa Benitez:
 

"No, don’t be concerned. They (the fans) knew at the beginning it would be a difficult start to the season so we must just keep working and carrying on.

"I am disappointed. Everyone could see what happened. I didn’t like the beginning of the game - I think the team reacted well.

"We didn’t have much control but we were close, maybe we are missing the final pass to create the more clear chance.

"When we had the draw and we were there, everyone saw what happened."

When asked whether he would speak to the referee:

"It’s not necessary."

About having one shot on target:

"It is a concern. We had the chances with the header in the first half and the final delivery or pass has to be better.

"The positive today? Rondon scored a goal so you have to have your strikers scoring goals."
 

Aitor Karanka (facing Newcastle as a manager for the first time, but part of the Bilbao side that eliminated United from the UEFA Cup in 1994) said: 

"The team, as I said yesterday, deserved a good performance. 

"Today has been clear that when we play our football, we are a very good team.

"I didn’t say anything because I didn’t like the excuses, but I could feel what was happening in the games in the league were normal. Today we showed that without the pressure of the league we are a very good team and now we have to learn to be ourselves and take that pressure off.

"It is easy for me to understand, when you play with pressure and when you play without pressure. We played without the pressure because it was a cup game and we didn’t have to win three points.

"We went to the pitch thinking about the game. When we go into the games in the league I felt that the players felt that pressure, and today was good to know that when we play our style we are a very good team.

About his selection for the next league game:

"Everybody needs to understand that it is not going to be easy for me. 

"The performance of (Liam) Bridcutt was amazing, a player who hasn’t played one game and who hasn’t been in the team and when he gets the first chance to play he did his best.

"He is training every day and that is the spirit I want in the team."

Newcastle were dumped out the Carabao Cup at the first time of asking for the second successive year by Championship side Nottingham Forest, although this time round it was a spectacular added time exit, rather than extra-time.

The Magpies had been caught cold by old boy Daryl Murphy's 89 second opener and a starting XI comprising eight Rafa Benitez signings had made absolutely no impression on their second tier hosts when six additional minutes were indicated at the end of the second half. 

However a manic six minutes then saw Salomon Rondon net his first goal for the club to equalise and seemingly prompt a penalty shootout, now that the 30 minutes of extra time no longer applies. 

Within two minutes though, Forest had regained the lead when former City Ground custodian Karl Darlow pushed a Gil Dias cross into the path of Matty Cash, who hammered the ball into the net.

But the drama didn't end there as substitute Ayoze Perez was flattened in the area by home 'keeper Luke Steele for what looked like a certain penalty - only for referee Jeremy Simpson to incredibly wave play-on.

Forest then went up the other end and took advantage of Kenedy's mis-control to end the tie with a third goal. An incensed Perez then had to be restrained by players, staff and Rafa Benitez at the final whistle as referee Simpson was escorted from the field by stewards in scenes reminiscent of our last visit here in 2016 (two red cards, two penalties against us, a disallowed goal).

The anger was justified but it shouldn't detract from a pretty awful performance that wouldn't have deserved the chance to get through from a penalty shoot-out. And given the awfulness of our most recent misadventure (missing three out of four taken at Hull in 2016) that wasn't a given, Forest progressing to this round after beating Bury 10-9 here in a shootout a fortnight earlier. 

Forest deserved to progress and Murphy's header always looked likely to settle the tie before the added-time mayhem, although United had chances to level, Joselu going close in the first half.

Sean Longstaff and Yoshinori Muto were handed their first competitive starts and Darlow had the chance to perform on his old stamping ground, having saved two penalties here two seasons ago.

Our glaring lack of left back cover was exposed by fielding Ciaran Clark there, while Kenedy and Atsu contributed absolutely nothing worthy of note to the entire proceedings and Ki struggled to control the midfield. Debutant Longstaff was certainly not lacking in effort but often outnumbered, while Muto endured an uncomfortable night.  

Collectively though, United failed to make an impact, this game more like a friendly for the most part and with Newcastle's lack of intensity verging on indifference. We gave a passable impression of a team more than content to lose this tie, replicating the unadventurous away display at Cardiff - a poor performance for a competition sponsored by an energy drink.... 

Joselu did get a second half header on target but was flagged offside but otherwise home 'keeper Luke Steele barely dirtied his gloves in the opening 90 minutes, while his opposite number was left thanking Federico Fernandez for a superb clearance to deny Murphy a clinching second goal.   

Rondon's excellent finish and the decision not to flag him were rare positives on a night when little else went well for the black and whites and nobody else enhanced their claims for a Premier League starting place. And in terms of a confidence booster ahead of Saturday's test, forget it....

The training ground bust-ups between Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie and the captain and his manager may be done and dusted now, but the mood on and off the field is hardly great ahead of Saturday's visit to the Premier League Champions. All is not well on Barrack Road.

Biffa