LONDON - Newcastle United ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought as they beat holders Liverpool 2-1 to win the League Cup with goals in each half by Dan Burn and Alexander Isak sparking a Geordie party at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Fittingly it was local hero Burn who sent his side on the way to a memorable victory as he thumped home a header in the 45th minute to reward Newcastle’s dominant first-half display. Roared on by a sea of fans clad in black and white, Newcastle took control of the showpiece final seven minutes after the break when Swedish forward Isak swept a shot past Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool halved the deficit in stoppage time with substitute Federico Chiesa slotting in but the damage was done and the day belonged to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle who won the club’s first domestic trophy since 1955. Newcastle suffered heartbreak two years ago in the League Cup final against Manchester United, their ninth straight loss at Wembley, but they were determined to write their names into folklore as they tapped into the energy from their supporters.
“It’s all for these fans,” Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, who arrived at the club after the 2021 Saudi Arabia- backed takeover, said before raising the trophy aloft. “It’s all for these fans. They deserve everything. When I first came here I said I wanted to put my name in history. We can now say we are the champions again.”
Liverpool on the other hand looked flat and appeared to be suffering a Champions League hangover after being knocked out of Europe by Paris St Germain on penalties on Tuesday. One statistic summed up the Reds’ day -- talisman Mohamed Salah, for the first time in his Liverpool career, having neither a shot nor creating a chance in a match in which he played 90 minutes.
Barring a collapse, Liverpool will surely win the Premier League but manager Arne Slot’s first Wembley final will not be one the Dutchman remembers fondly.”A disappointing result and disappointing performance,” he said. “The game went exactly how (Newcastle) wanted it to go. They deserved to win.”