Newcastle United supporters could hardly believe their eyes come the full-time whistle at Wembley on Sunday as the club's long domestic silverware drought of 70 years was finally put to bed.
The Magpies pulled off a shock 2-1 win on the biggest stage over Arne Slot's soon-to-be Premier League champions in Liverpool to lift the EFL Cup, with Eddie Howe's camp now immortalised forevermore at St James' Park as the group that put Tyneside firmly on the footballing map.
Newcastle-United
Not even all-time greats such as Alan Shearer could pull off a moment such as this when he was playing, with the notorious sharpshooter tasting silverware at Blackburn Rovers in the form of a top-flight title success, but amazingly went trophyless at the Toon.
Shearer's legendary status at Newcastle
No one can say Shearer didn't enjoy great times donning his beloved black and white stripes.
Indeed, the now-retired striker went on to win three Premier League golden boots leading the line for his hometown club among other personal accolades.
The much-loved number nine's long-standing association with the Toon would also see him become the division's all-time top-scorer, with a jaw-dropping 260 strikes coming his way from 441 total league appearances, meaning a trophy here and there falling to the wayside is a pill that can be swallowed.
Shearer's Premier League career @ Newcastle
Season
1996/97
1997/98
1998/99
1999/00
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
Stats via Transfermarkt.
Shearer did get to two FA Cup finals as a Magpie, but both times Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United would outsmart Newcastle, leaving the 63-time England international empty-handed in that regard.
That's where the Newcastle stars of today can one up the lethal marksman, with this equally deadly attacker now heading down the path of forging a better legacy for himself at St James' Park than the goalscoring titan.
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Newcastle star could leave with a bigger legacy than Shearer
Every single member of the starting XI against Liverpool will be remembered for some time now, with Dan Burn's bullet header against the Reds reaffirming his status as a fan's favourite.
Carabao Cup final player ratings
Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore
Meanwhile, Bruno Guimaraes' visible emotions at the end cemented his own tag as a memorable captain figure.
That's before we've even mentioned the Swedish goal machine that is Alexander Isak, with the ex-Real Sociedad centre-forward sealing the historic victory in the English capital when smashing this early second-half effort past a startled Caoimhin Kelleher.
This crucial strike would give the Newcastle masses more breathing room to dream inside Wembley, with a two-goal cushion proving to be worthwhile come the end of the frantic contest, especially when Federico Chiesa got Slot's men back into the game right at the death.
Ultimately, however, Isak's 23rd goal of the season would gift Howe's men their long awaited silverware, with the 6 foot 4 striker now up to a mightily impressive 58 strikes in total for the Magpies from 100 clashes.
Isak's G/A record at Newcastle by season
Season
24/25
23/24
22/23
Sourced by Transfermarkt
That's some distance from ever eclipsing Shearer's ridiculous goal haul, but it must be said that Isak has now bettered the distinguished Premier League Hall of Fame member when it comes to firing home strike after strike that then results in a jubliant trophy success.
Isak could well tarnish his ever-rising popularity at St James' Park if he was to uproot this coming summer though, with the likes of Arsenal and now reportedly Slot's men sniffing around, but his legacy if he does depart has been undoubtedly boosted by the heroics he provided on Sunday evening.
Alexander-Isak-1
Alternatively, Isak could sense this is just the beginning for Newcastle in terms of picking up illustrious honours, as the "world-class" attacker - as he was once labelled by Shearer himself - aims to keep firing in the goals to round off the Toon's successful 2024/25 season with a potential top four finish.
If he stayed and fired the Toon to even greater success, he could well better that man Shearer's legacy at St James' Park. Wouldn't that be a story?
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Newcastle United sealed a historic Carabao Cup victory.