Joelinton's second-half goal was the difference as Newcastle claimed a 1-0 victory over Southampton in the first leg of the 2022-23 Carabao Cup semifinals.
There was little to separate the teams throughout the match, as both sides ended with three shots on target. Joelinton had actually put the ball into the back of the net late in the first half, but he was judged to have handled the ball before striking it in.
The Brazilian would atone for the mistake in the 73rd minute when substitute Alexander Isak shook off his defender on the sideline and charged into the Southampton penalty area unchallenged before squaring a pass across the face of goal that the trailing Joelinton easily tapped in from inside the six-yard box.
Southampton thought they had equalized two minutes later when Adam Armstrong bundled an effort in from close range but video review showed that the Saints substitute used his hand to help the ball past Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope.
That was as close as the home side would get as they had to settle for the 1-0 loss.
The teams will face off in the second leg next week in Newcastle.