Newcastle United had waited 70 years for a moment like this.
It was 1955 when the north-east club last won a piece of major domestic silverware but the drought is over after a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
Nobody could argue it was not deserved. Newcastle were hungrier and carried more thrust throughout and could have been leading by more than just the goals scored by Dan Burn and Alexander Isak before Federico Chiesa ensured a nervy finale with a late strike.
For Liverpool, it was another grievous blow in a week which had already seen them eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, although the Premier League title should ensure the season is remembered as a triumph.
We dissect the major talking points at Wembley.
How big is this for Newcastle?
What had felt like an interminable wait is finally over. Fully 56 years on from lifting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and 70 years since they last won domestic silverware, the 1955 FA Cup, Newcastle have finally triumphed again on the biggest stage.
A staggering 30 clubs within the English league pyramid had won a trophy more recently than Newcastle — but not any more. After 2,759 competitive matches, eventually a Newcastle captain has lifted silverware above their head. And it was Bruno Guimaraes this time, who promised that he would win something with the club so that he could make himself a “legend” on Tyneside.
All of these players will, in the words of Burn, forever be “immortals” in Newcastle. Fans have yearned for their moment of glory and, when you consider their heartache and five cup-final defeats across almost six decades, few could deny they warranted this.
Newcastle fans revel in their success (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
This, in theory, is merely supposed to be the start for Newcastle under their present ownership. A consortium, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), bought the club in October 2021, and that led to moral questions and also fears among other Premier League sides about the potential effect Newcastle’s new theoretical wealth could have.
In that sense, to the wider footballing world, this will not be seen as a fairy tale. But for Burn, the boyhood Newcastle fan, for Howe, who took Bournemouth up four divisions and then transformed his current club from relegation fodder to cup winners, and especially for the long-suffering supporters, it is just that.
Newcastle is no longer a club defined by their inability to win anything. They are winners now — and that in itself is barely comprehensible.
Chris Waugh
Title beckons but could Slot’s season be fizzling out?
Heading into this week, Arne Slot called Liverpool’s three games against Southampton, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle “finals”.
One win and two defeats is far from what he would have been hoping for. Instead, it has been a sobering few days. While the victory over Southampton strengthened their grip on the Premier League, defeats to PSG and Newcastle – where they failed to turn up – have ended any hopes of lifting more silverware in this campaign.
Liverpool should go on and win the Premier League as they have a 12-point lead over Arsenal with nine games to go. Lifting the title at the end of the season will be a huge overachievement in Slot’s first season and nobody should forget that amid the pain of defeat at Wembley.
Arne Slot looks disconsolate (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
Yet, there is no hiding from the fact that this does put a dampener on the season. It is a huge case of what might have been in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup given how strong Liverpool have been this season.
With the title essentially wrapped up, there may be an anti-climactic feel to the run-in but fans should still enjoy the title procession — assuming there is no shocking late collapse.
If Virgil van Dijk lifts the Premier League title in May, then these few days will be cast into the memory. Right now, though, and the manner of both defeats, means they will sting in the weeks to come.
Andy Jones
How clever corner set up Burn
Rarely can a more emotional goal have been scored at Wembley.
Burn, the boyhood Newcastle fan, who told his dad that when the takeover happened, his prospects of calling St James’ Park his home ground had surely evaporated, scored their first goal at Wembley in 25 years and 335 minutes of football.
Just two days after being called up to the England squad for the first time at the age of 32, the towering centre-back got away from Alexis Mac Allister, and rose in the box in the 45th minute to power a header across goal and hand Newcastle a deserved lead.
UK readers watch here:
“It’s the boy from Blyth!”
A bullet header from Dan Burn! 💥 pic.twitter.com/TWjNryvqeu
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 16, 2025
U.S. readers watch here:
DAN BURN HEADS NEWCASTLE INTO THE LEAD IN THE CARABAO CUP FINAL💥 pic.twitter.com/va5BlcBWNA
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 16, 2025
But beyond the emotion, there was a calculated edge to this goal, which was the product of a set-piece masterclass by Jason Tindall, the assistant head coach.
Newcastle clearly had a ploy, which was for Burn to peel off to the back, away from the towering Liverpool centre-halves Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, and then to direct dead balls long. Mac Allister was being deployed as an intended blocker but it didn’t work: of five corners during the first half, Burn managed to get first contact at three of them, including for his goal.
The noise at the Newcastle end, which Burn then lifted several notches further by imploring the fans to cheer louder, was memorable. With his dad, brother and family watching on in the crowd, Burn has never had a week in his professional life quite like this one.
Chris Waugh
Why were Liverpool so toothless?
If Arne Slot had been dreaming up what his side could produce in the Carabao Cup final, then what he saw was a nightmare.
Liverpool were awful, particularly in the first half. They failed to match Newcastle’s intensity and instead of using the disappointment of their Champions League exit in midweek as fuel, they looked more like they were feeling sorry for themselves.
They had plenty of possession but did nothing with it. They were over-powered in midfield, repeatedly forced to go long, firing aimless balls up the pitch. They were second to lose balls, lost duels and failed to control the game for any period.
The front three of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz were left feeding off scraps. They struggled to provide their side with territory and offered nothing. Salah, often the player to produce a moment to ignite his side, was more a spectator than player.
They combined in the final moments of the half but Jota’s shanked shot – the first Liverpool had in the game, and first touches they had in – had the look of a striker without a goal in 10 games.
Diogo Jota is left sprawling at Wembley (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Had they got into the break level, they could have breathed a sigh of relief and reset in the dressing room. Instead, they failed to respond to Newcastle’s set piece tactic of leaving Dan Burn at the back post and conceded right on half time.
Liverpool have endured difficult first halves this season, but this was arguably their worst 45 minutes of the season at the worst possible moment and it set the tone for their awful afternoon.
Going two behind so early in the second half reduced any chance of a comeback to a sliver and Slot’s raft of substitutions left Liverpool looking even more disjointed, even if one of them — Chiesa — did score in stoppage time.
Andy Jones
Why Isak was dangerous even without the ball
When Anthony Gordon was ruled out through suspension, Newcastle’s attacking versatility shrank.
Here was a player with the ability to cover all three positions across the frontline — gone. In Alexander Isak, however, Newcastle have a player whose movement gives them leeway.
The pre-game match-up was Isak against Van Dijk, but in actual fact, Newcastle’s use of Isak was far subtler than having him directly up against the Liverpool captain. With Jarell Quansah at right-back, who struggled in that role against Newcastle at St James’ Park, Howe instructed Isak to drift wide and deep, occupying the young defender and drawing Van Dijk and Konate out of position.
Though Isak had just nine touches in the first-half — the fewest of any player — don’t mistake that with being peripheral. Harvey Barnes and Joelinton cut inside from the left into the space Isak created — leading to a succession of half-chances, including the Barnes shot which won the corner Dan Burn headed home.
Isak’s use allowed the unheralded players to shine — and meant that even if Van Dijk and Konate won their individual duels, Newcastle had space to create.
Of course, Isak going under the radar was only beneficial to Newcastle. After 53 minutes, no Liverpool centre-back was tracking Isak’s run as Murphy outduelled Andy Robertson at the back-post — and Isak’s instinctive finish doubled Newcastle’s lead.
Howe didn’t choose to go through Van Dijk and Konate — but around their backs.
Jacob Whitehead
A Joelinton tackle that set tone for midfield dominance
With Trent Alexander-Arnold out, Liverpool’s build-up suffered. They were reduced to two options — go long through Caoimhin Kelleher, or play it through Newcastle’s press.
The key to the game was that the second ceased to be a viable option. The black and white shirts of Newcastle’s midfield might as well have been bars.
Newcastle failed to turn up for their last League Cup final, just as they failed to impose themselves in FA Cup finals in 1998 and 1999. That’s a generation of disappointment. But their intention was laid out in the first-half — this time, they were here to compete.
Midway through the first-half, Jarell Quansah and Joelinton met like sledgehammers on the touchline — wrestling for the ball almost in slow motion, before the Brazilian came out on top. He turned, flexed his biceps, and roared to the crowd.
Joelinton celebrates his tackle on Jarell Quansah (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Joelinton was Newcastle’s standout performer, the dominant player on the pitch in both large and small spaces. He was there winning wrestles with Quansah and Dominik Szoboszlai, the latter of whom was totally bundled out the game; he was there sprinting 40 yards back to block a goalbound shot.
In Tonali and Guimaraes, Newcastle had midfielders with the technical ability to mop up Joelinton-inflicted spills, and get their own side going forward themselves. Privately, Howe has insisted that Newcastle’s recruitment needs to focus on physicality and athleticism — this was his pipedream made reality.
Jacob Whitehead
What next for Liverpool?
Wednesday, April 2: Everton (Home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
What next for Newcastle?
Wednesday, April 2: Brentford (Home), Premier League, 7.45pm UK, 2.45pm ET
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(Top photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
