Gary Neville believes that Newcastle United have pulled off the biggest surprise this season.
It has been a remarkable campaign for Eddie Howe’s side, and it could still get even better.
With two Premier League games to go, Newcastle United have the opportunity to finish second.
It would be their best league season since coming second in 1996/97, while it would also bring Champions League football back to St James’ Park.
No matter what happens, Newcastle winning the Carabao Cup and ending their trophy drought is their biggest achievement.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Gary Neville stunned by Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup win
Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley in March, ending their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy.
Gary Neville was blown away by the Newcastle fans inside the stadium that day, and the former Manchester United defender has reinforced how amazed he was by the Magpies’ achievement.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate on The Overlap YouTube channel, Neville admitted that he was certain that Liverpool were going to beat Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
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“The big surprise this season you should look at most is what Newcastle did against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final,” he said.
“That was a big shock to me. I said to you [Jamie Carragher] before the game: ‘Virgil van Dijk will lift this trophy, he will 100% lift this trophy’.
“I was amazed at how Newcastle did. And they actually beat Liverpool really well on the day. They played really well.”
Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup win is even more impressive
It did not matter who Newcastle United beat in the final, as long as they ended their trophy drought.
However, to do it against a team as good as Liverpool made it even more impressive.
Not only did Eddie Howe bring silverware back to Tyneside, but he did it by beating the best team in the country.
After losing the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool went on to win the Premier League title. They have been untouchable at the top, with only Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Chelsea beating them in the league.
Newcastle were able to get the job done at Wembley, and it was no fluke. As Neville says, the Magpies played incredibly well on that famous day.
This Newcastle United team became legends. The club will hopefully go on to win more trophies in the near future, but everyone will always remember the team that stopped the rot.
They did it in style too, much to the surprise of Gary Neville.