Newcastle United assistant boss Jason Tindall has revealed what Toon players were told just before they were sent into battle against Arsenal.

Head coach Eddie Howe and his number two Tindall warned the players not to focus too much on the opposition and instead find the rhythm they showed in the recent nine-game winning run.

The Magpies beat the Gunners 2-0 on the night to record a 4-0 aggregate victory at St James' Park and can now look forward to a mid-March final at Wembley. They also have the luxury of sitting back and seeing what unfolds in the other semi-final between Liverpool and Spurs tonight, knowing exactly the level of performance needed for the final showpiece.

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United lined up with a five-man defence against the Gunners, but Tindall said that each player was told to "be yourself" before pulling off the 2-0 victory that sent Mikel Arteta's team packing

Tindall said: "Obviously there was a lot of expectation on us coming into the game after the result we got at the Emirates. It was about us being 'ourselves' tonight and sticking to the plan and executing it. The lads executed it excellently. That was always there for all to see.

"Whoever we come against now, Tottenham or Liverpool, are top teams. We have got to go to Wembley and learn from the experiences we had before. We have to go there and deliver the level of performance we have delivered in these semi-finals. Hopefully we will go there and go one better than last time."

The fact that Newcastle opened up with that five-man defensive rearguard threw both the media and the supporters with many wondering whether it was a sign of retreating with a two-goal lead intact from the first leg.

But Tindall, when asked if the defensive switch up had worked a treat, told Chronicle Live: "It did yeah. Going into the game tactically we had to be good.

"We had to be ourselves but we knew with the scoreline from the first game we could not rely on that. We had to take the game to Arsenal and we did. We made the tactical tweaks and the players executed it to the plan and it worked it so well."

Tindall also had a special word for Joelinton who missed the game through a knee injury but showed the type of character needed on the road to Wembley. Tindall said: "Every single player plays their part, whether they are in the team or out of the team or the bench. You could see the guys in the stands giving their support to the team picked.

"It is such a tight knit group and a lot of people, myself included, say that this is the best group of players we have had in terms of togetherness."