Newcastle's unusual Carabao Cup dilemma explained as Chelsea make decision(Image: Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Why Lewis Hall can play for Newcastle against parent club Chelsea in Carabao Cup clash

Lewis Hall was ineligible to play against his parent club Chelsea when the Blues faced Newcastle in the Premier League at the end of last month

19 Dec 2023, 10:15 by Jake Stokes · football.london

It has been revealed why Lewis Hall can play for Newcastle United when they face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. The Blues will welcome the Magpies to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night with both teams hoping to get their hands on some silverware this season.

Chelsea head into the clash following a routine win over Sheffield United at the weekend, while Newcastle bounced back from their Champions League heartbreak with a victory against Fulham. With both sides out of Europe, Mauricio Pochettino and Eddie Howe will both be aware that winning the competition secures Europa Conference League qualification.

While the Carabao Cup may not be as attractive as an FA Cup or Premier League title, there's still a lot at stake. If the west Londoners want to get back into Europe then they'll have to be at their best after losing to the Magpies at the end of last month.

Newcastle stormed past Chelsea 4-1 at St. James' Park – and that was without Hall, who signed a season-long loan deal, which includes a £28million obligation to buy, with the Magpies in the summer. Fast forward a couple of weeks and the 19-year-old midfielder has been made available to play against the Blues after he was deemed ineligible last time out.

According to the Evening Standard, the Magpies have secured 'special dispensation' to play Hall against his former club. The Cobham graduate has started each of Newcastle's two Carabao Cup games so far this season, featuring at both left-midfield and left-back.

Hall has been starved of opportunities in the Premier League since leaving Chelsea, but he's impressed in the EFL Cup with eye-catching performances against both Manchester City and Manchester United. Now, the teenager has been granted permission to continue his rich vein of form in the competition back at his old stomping ground.

While Chelsea have given Newcastle the green light to use Hall, Pochettino remains determined on progress into the semi-final. The 51-year-old said: "It means more for the people than us. It means a lot because we want to deliver the job for our club, for our fans.

"Delivering a trophy, the most important thing is to win. It's difficult to measure, it's really important, it is a priority. To have the possibility to win a title is really important. It's in our mind, our objective, we need to be ready to fight tomorrow to be closer to winning a title.

"We need to fight, we need to be aggressive, we need to follow our last game in the way we behave and the way we approach the game and improve in the way we play. We need to keep the same mentality and the same capacity to fight for every single ball."

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