When the giant screen revealed that Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea were heading out of this competition as the teams prepared for penalties, the stakes were suddenly raised. It was Newcastle who held their nerve - and how encouraging for Gareth Southgate that England's Nick Pope was the hero with three shootout saves.
In this strangest of seasons, Eddie Howe’s team will now still be in the cup competitions and the Premier League’s top four entering December.
Even the method of victory was something of a novelty, just a third shootout win from 11 attempts in the club’s history.