The time will eventually come when it sinks in. Possibly it will be on the journey back to the north east, or when the trophy is taken on a parade around the city and shown to those who didn’t make the trip but well versed in the stories, but eventually every Newcastle United supporter will realise what they were part of.
For seventy years, finals were all about the party for the Geordies. They came, they enjoyed but, ultimately, they lost. Ever since their FA Cup win in 1955, five times the familiar storyline would unfold. The occasions started to trump the games.
And so the travelling throng made quite an occasion of it this time, too. London was a sea of black and white for much of the weekend. Around every corner there would be a north-east accent. The pubs probably haven’t had business like it for some time.
On Saturday evening in Convent Garden, it felt as though there was a Geordie conference, such was the sheer scale of their pre-game gathering. One local establishment ran out of beer before the sun had set.
Thousands travelled to the capital without tickets just to take in and be part of the Saturday evening festivities that would carry long into the night. And quite a few would then return to Newcastle the next morning to be back home in time to watch the final on television.
This was all about enjoying the here and now. The final would be tomorrow, and everyone knows how that normally turns out for Newcastle.
Here they were facing a Liverpool team that had all-but wrapped up the Premier League title in mid-March and were evidently favourites to claim a record 11th League Cup. History was on their side.
But even as far back as from the journey to Wembley, walking along Wembley Way, and the pre-match build-up, it was hard to not sense that this was simply a trophy that Newcastle wanted more than their opponents.
Maybe it’s because Liverpool have eyed up bigger prizes this season, or that this is feasibly the only chance a lot of these Newcastle players will get at winning a trophy, but, visually at least, the desire and will to win was one sided.
So, when local hero Dan Burn found the bottom corner of **Caoimhin Kelleher**’s net on the cusp of half time with a bullet header from 16 yards, and then when Alexander Isak doubled the lead seven minutes after the break with a right-footed finish, Newcastle found themselves in a place that they have dreamed of for seven decades.
It would be wrong to say that the hordes of black-and-white-clad supporters enjoyed the final half an hour, not least the eight minutes of stoppage time that featured Federico Chiesa scoring a late Liverpool goal, but the full-time whistle prompted an outpouring of relief yet it was mainly sheer ecstasy.
Howe makes mark as England's best coach
“*I feel amazing,*” said Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head coach. “*I think it’s an incredible day, really. So, so pleased with our performance. I thought we were magnificent. The win was fully deserved. I thought the players were magnificent.*”
Howe’s reaction following the biggest moment of his footballing career spoke volumes, too. The 47-year-old coach is never one to overexpose his emotions but his words were slightly wavering as he paid tribute to his players and, also, his mother who raised him as a sole parent and died 13 years ago after a short illness
“Naturally you end up thinking of the players, the staff, but also the people that aren’t with you,” Howe explained. “Like for me, my mum, family members. You just think of all the hard sacrifices, hard work that they gave you as a child to give you the opportunity to have a good life.
*“You think that you’re getting help from above [during the game] and you’re getting support. I just always had the thought that I want to try and make my family proud, and now, of course, I have three boys and I want to try to make them proud, too.*”
In winning his inaugural trophy as a head coach, Howe became the first English manager since Harry Redknapp in 2008 to claim a major honour. His trajectory has been upward for some time but this was further evidence that he is the best domestic manager of his generation and an improver of players.
Perhaps describing Newcastle’s performance as the ultimate final display would be pushing it a little, and yet the team structure combined with the intensity and wiliness of their approach made it a very accomplished showing.
This was a game from which each of Howe’s players could walk off the pitch and up the Wembley steps to collect the trophy knowing they had put in one hell of a shift. Deserved winners.
Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali demonstrated why they are one of the best midfield trios in European football. Isak didn’t have many chances but put his main one away with aplomb. Burn and Fabian Schar were steadfast at the back, and the willingness of Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento to advance to the byline kept Newcastle on the front foot.
On the day they were no match for Liverpool who were shown up by their opponents’ sheer force of desire. It felt as though for one team this had been a long day coming and for the other it was becoming a long day.
“You have so many difficult days in football and this club’s had its fair share over the years,” Howe continued. “So I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and take it all in.
*“The supporters have been magnificent since I came here. I’m so pleased they have this trophy to end the long wait and hopefully we will get some more in the future.*”
A party as long as the wait now beckons after Newcastle’s new heroes stepped up.