Newcastle United ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy, defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup final.
Read that again.
Newcastle United ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy, defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup final.
How does that feel?
And because you cannot write a better story, goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak were the ones securing the victory, giving Eddie Howe’s team their first major silverware since the 1955 FA Cup.
Liverpool entered the match as favorites, but Newcastle started with intensity, pressing high and dictating the early tempo, putting the Reds’ backs against a wall they’d never find a way to clear.
Sandro Tonali sent an early warning shot past the post, while Newcastle’s midfield trio of Tonali, Joelinton, and Bruno Guimarães controlled the first half.
Liverpool struggled to create, managing only one shot and two touches in Newcastle’s box before halftime. Just imagine!
The breakthrough came in stoppage time. Kieran Trippier delivered a corner to the back post, where Burn, unmarked by the much smaller Alexis Mac Allister, powered a header across goal and past Caoimhin Kelleher.
The Newcastle end of Wembley erupted as Burn, a boyhood fan of the club and legitimate Magpie, celebrated a goal that put Newcastle on the verge of history.
Seven minutes into the second half, Isak doubled Newcastle’s lead.
After having a close-range finish ruled out for offside moments earlier, the Swedish striker capitalized on Jacob Murphy’s header across goal, sweeping his shot into the bottom left corner.
Newcastle were in control, while Liverpool, still dealing with the fatigue of their midweek Champions League elimination at the hands of PSG—who Newcastle trounced not long ago—struggled to respond.
Substitute Curtis Jones forced Nick Pope into a sharp save just before the hour mark, but Newcastle continued to look the more dangerous side and, hey, it’s not that Pope didn’t deserve his own moment to laugh at the Scousers.
Arne Slot adjusted Liverpool’s shape late on, pushing more attackers forward, yet Newcastle’s defensive organization held firm.
Deep into stoppage time, Federico Chiesa broke through and slid a finish past Pope. Initially flagged offside, VAR confirmed the goal, setting up a tense final minute.
But Newcastle held out, sealing a victory that ended decades of near misses and disappointments and also that, hopefully, kickstart an era of true and absolute dominance.
After the match, Howe praised his team’s effort and all of the now-legendary Geordie boys.
“I’m so pleased for the players, for the supporters, for everyone connected with the club,” Howe said. “It’s been a long time coming, but tonight we showed what this team is capable of.”
Newcastle will return to Premier League action on April 2 against Brentford, now as Carabao Cup champions, and with sculptors taking Howe’s measures for the inevitable statue that will soon grace the new Newcastle stadium.
Howay!