BLACKBURN 4 NEWCASTLE 3 (AET)
BLACKBURN: Bunn, Lowe, Samba, Givet, Olsson, Rochina (Vukcevic 78), Petrovic, Pedersen, Hoilett (Hanley 88), Yakubu (Formica 66), Goodwillie.
Subs Not Used: Robinson, Roberts, Anderson, Cotton.
NEWCASTLE: Krul, Simpson (Sammy Ameobi 70), Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Marveaux (Obertan 77), Guthrie, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ben Arfa (Lovenkrands 79), Ba.
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Abeid, Gosling, Ranger.
Att: 10,682
Steven Taylor couldn't make the match because of a broken nose, and the former Nottingham Forest defender was drafted in as cover.
Some of us feared the worst, because the Carling Cup is the playground for reserve team footballers these days, but Alan Pardew didn't make massive changes ... and on paper it looked a half-decent side.
But it was Pardew's weird pre-match interview with Radio Newcastle's Mick Lowe that had many confused.
Lowe mentioned Pardew's quote on Friday: "You said you wanted to win silverware at Newcastle and the Carling Cup was your best chance."
Pardew replied: "Did I actually say that? Are you sure? Strange. Oh well ... if I said it."
What the f*** was THAT all about?
With a crowd of 10,682, I'd take a bet there were as many travelling Toon fans as Rovers fans in the ground. And Ewood Park has a capacity of 31,154 ... so that left 20,472 empty seats.
As for the Toon supporters who left with five minutes to go to beat the traffic home, when we were 2-0 down, they missed a grand stand finale.
Gael Givet's header in the dying seconds of extra-time secured an amazing victory for Blackburn against a Newcastle side that refused to die.
Rovers led 2-0, 3-2 and finally emerged exhausted but triumphant as 4-3 victors at Ewood Park, while the Magpies saw the end of their unbeaten run this season.
Ruben Rochina and Yakubu had apparently sent Blackburn on their way to a comfortable win, only for Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye to hit stunning injury time strikes to send the game into extra-time.
Morten Gamst Pedersen's free-kick made it 3-2, Peter Lovenkrands equalised again from the spot and then came Givet's last-gasp heroics.
Rovers will argue it was about time the dice rolled for them - because they had appeared to be stacked against Steve Kean's side at kick-off.
Newcastle arrived with the best defensive record in the top flight, although there were changes to the usual backline.
For most of the match and deep into injury time Blackburn had played like the unbeaten team, and Newcastle like the bottom club, before it all turned around in those two crazy minutes.
Blackburn started brightly and Junior Hoilett's extraordinary pace took him past two players, but Davide Santon - making his full debut - did well to block Ruben Rochina after he had seized on the cut-back.
Newcastle did not heed the warning however and the 20-year-old Spaniard was not to be denied when given a second opening in the fifth minute.
The chance was created on the left again, Martin Olsson playing a one-two with Hoilett before sprinting down the flank and crossing low for Rochina to sweep home from 12 yards out.
The stage had been set for an open contest and so it continued as Demba Ba fired against the post for the visitors after being put clean through by Danny Guthrie, then David Goodwillie brought a smart save out of the Magpies keeper Tim Krul.
Newcastle's discomfort in defence continued however and Fabricio Coloccini was extremely lucky to only receive a caution when he caught Yakubu high with his foot apparently raised.
Yakubu nearly made the Magpies pay again just before the break but Krul turned aside his curling shot.
The second half began with Hoilett drifting a 20-yard free-kick into Krul's arms, before the travelling fans exploded into indignation after referee Robert Madley refused to award a penalty when Sylvain Marveaux blasted the ball against Olsson's arm.
Yakubu was next to threaten but in the end his effort at Krul was feeble, before two hugely controversial incidents ended up with Blackburn extending their lead.
First Ba tangled with Chris Samba in the Blackburn box but Madley was unmoved, although it looked as though the Newcastle player had a good case.
The ball was swept down the other end to Rochina who beat the offside trap but lost control as Krul approached and then threw himself over the keeper's leg - and bizarrely this time the referee did point to the spot.
Yakubu made no mistake with the penalty - leaving the visiting fans chanting '2-0 to the referee' in frustration.
With Blackburn believing the game was in the bag, Guthrie hammered in a stunning shot from 30 yards.
That strike came in the third minute of injury time, and there were two agonising minutes for Rovers to endure.
There was one more chance for Newcastle - and that was enough. Samba fouled Coloccini 25 yards out and Cabaye curled a delightful free-kick into the top corner to send the tie into extra-time.
Pedersen had sent one howitzer of a free-kick wide but the Norwegian found the target soon afterwards, his drive skimming off the wall and low past Krul.
There still looked to be goals in this game and so it proved when Grant Hanley was penalised for a tug on Lovenkrands and the Dane tucked home the penalty to make it three apiece.
Still Rovers refused to give up the ghost and in the dying seconds Pedersen floated in a free-kick, Samba headed across goal and Gael Givet stooped to conquer at the far-post.
Cue a massive pile-on of Rovers players - this was some match and Blackburn had, finally, deserved it.
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NEWCASTLE UNITED 20011/12
PREMIER LEAGUE
NEWCASTLE 1 WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 (Cabaye)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Marveaux 76), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Ben Arfa 46), Ba (Shola Ameobi 68).
Subs Not Used: Harper, Santon, Perch, Smith.
NEWCASTLE 2 SPURS 2 (Ba, Ameobi)
Krul, Simpson (Santon 77), Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Shola Ameobi 71), Ba (Ben Arfa 71).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Lovenkrands, Gosling, Marveaux.
WOLVES 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ba, Gutierrez)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Marveaux 90), Cabaye (Guthrie 89), Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba (Lovenkrands 71).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi.
NEWCASTLE 3 BLACKBURN 1 (Ba 3)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Marveaux 84), Ba (Ben Arfa 74), Best.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch, Sammy Ameobi.
ASTON VILLA 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Best)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Sammy Ameobi 85), Best (Shola Ameobi 69), Ba (Marveaux 80).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch.
QPR 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 88), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Marveaux 82), Shola Ameobi (Ba 64).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Lovenkrands.
NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 1 (Best 2)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Lovenkrands (Ba 62), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Obertan, Best (Vuckic 78), Vuckic (Smith 85).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Ferguson.
SUNDERLAND 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 1 (R Taylor)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Tiote, Cabaye (Williamson 85), Barton, Obertan (Gosling 85), Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Lovenkrands, Ba, Best, Marveaux.
NEWCASTLE 0 ARSENAL 0
Krul, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Simpson, Barton, Cabaye (Lovenkrands 81), Tiote, Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi (Best 73), Ba (Obertan 46).
Subs Not Used: Forster, Williamson, Gosling, Sammy Ameobi.
CARLING CUP
BLACKBURN 4 NEWCASTLE 3 (AET) Guthrie, Cabaye, Lovenkrands (pen)
Krul, Simpson (Sammy Ameobi 70), Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Marveaux (Obertan 77), Guthrie, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ben Arfa (Lovenkrands 79), Ba.
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Abeid, Gosling, Ranger.
NOTTINGHAM FOR. 3 NEWCASTLE 4 (AET) Lovenkrands 2, Simpson, Coloccini
Elliot, Simpson, Coloccini, Perch, Ferguson, Abeid, Guthrie, Gosling (Shola Ameobi 70), Marveaux, Ben Arfa (Sammy Ameobi 70), Lovenkrands (Obertan 80).
Subs Not Used: Krul, Best, Dummett, Henderson.
SCUNTHORPE 1 NEWCASTLE 2 AET (R Taylor, Sammy Ameobi)
Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson (Steven Taylor 45), Ryan Taylor, Marveaux, Gosling (Vuckic 70), Cabaye, Lovenkrands, Best, Ba (Sammy Ameobi 65).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Abeid, Smith, Ferguson.
PRE-SEASON FIXTURES
NEWCASTLE 0 FIORENTINA 0 (Ab 63 mins)
Krul (Forster 46), Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique, Gosling (Ba 46), Cabaye, Vuckic, Jonas (Marveaux 46) Lovenkrands (R Taylor 61), Best (Shola Ameobi 46).Subs: Sammy Ameobi, Ranger, Tavernier, Williamson.
LEEDS UTD 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (S.Taylor, Vuckic)
Forster, Cabaye, Williamson, Barton, Simpson, Gosling, Gutierrez, Ba, Shola Ameobi, Taylor, Tavernier. Subs: Krul, Taylor, Best, Vuckic, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett.
COLUMBUS CREW 0 NEWCASTLE 3 (Ameobi, Coloccini, Vuckic)
Harper; Tavernier, S Taylor, Coloccini (Dummett, 54), Enrique; Gutierrez (Abeid, 85), Tiote (Smith, 62), Gosling, Marveaux (Vuckic, 76); Ameobi (Best, 75), Ba. Subs not used: Forster, Krul.
ORLANDO CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 0
Forster; R Taylor (Enrique, 26), S Taylor, Coloccini, Tavernier; Gosling (Vuckic, 71), Smith (Abeid, 74), Tiote, Gutierrez; Best (Ba, 74), Lovenkrands (Ameobi, 74). Subs not used: Krul, Harper.
SPORTING KANSAS 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Gosling, Coloccini, S Taylor, R Taylor, Marveaux (Tavernier 46), Tiote (Abeid 46), Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Ba (Best 72), Lovenkrands (Smith 46).
DARLINGTON 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Barton, Sammy Ameobi)
Forster; Simpson (Dummett), S Taylor (Tavernier), Williamson (Henderson), Ferguson (R Taylor); Barton (Abeid), Guthrie (Cabaye, Donaldson), Smith (Gosling), Vuckic (Sammy Ameobi); Ben Arfa (Richardson), Best (Ranger). Subs not used: Soderberg, Newton.