Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a domestic trophy came to an end as Eddie Howe’s side won the Carabao Cup against Liverpool at Wembley.
The Magpies – whose most recent domestic trophy came from their success in the 1995 FA Cup season – had been denied by Manchester United in this competition two years ago but didn’t let that destroy their confidence against the holders here.
Dan Burn, who was called up to the England national team for the first time on Friday, had opened the scoring to cap off a perfect display from Newcastle in the opening period.
And even though Liverpool occasionally found momentum in the second half, Alexander Isak dampened the holders’ chances of retaining the title with a powerful finish after 52 minutes for his 27th goal of the season.
Federico Chiesa, who had scored just once since joining the Reds, pulled one back with 94 minutes gone.
But Liverpool, even with momentum on their side, couldn’t find a way to force the game to extra-time despite there being over 100 minutes of football played.
Story of the Match
For what had been several generations in the making, and after five domestic cup final losses in a row, Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major trophy was just 45 minutes away from being extinguished.
Howe’s side were without a doubt the better side heading into the interval, combining nine shots and six corners to push Slot’s side to breaking point, and there was only so much pressure they could stand.
Burn's historic moment
Perhaps it was already one of the best weeks in the life of Burn, having been called up to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel at the age of 32.
But after 45 minutes, it just got better. From a corner, surrounded by the red half of a sold-out Wembley, Kieran Trippier, one of the Magpies’ most dominant assets to that point, sent a floating cross deep into the penalty area.
Isak seals Newcastle’s triumph
A make-or-break team talk was required from a usually cool-headed Slot at half-time, but any efforts to retrieve hopes of the Dutchman earning his maiden piece of silverware were soon quashed when Isak struck seven minutes into the second period.
Liverpool’s aerial weakness continued when Tino Livramento, on the left flank, sent a high and fast ball towards the back post which Jacob Murphy leapt onto, setting Isak up for a shot at the penalty spot.
And in the blink of an eye, with his first touch of the attack, the Sweden international converted the ball into the bottom left corner, sending some 32,000 Newcastle fans into elation. They were nearly there.
Newcastle withstands Liverpool’s late push
Just moments before his opener, Isak thought he had increased his side’s advantage earlier when he tapped in at the conclusion of a messy run of play on the back of a corner.
Trippier’s floating cross, similar to the one which saw Burn break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, split Liverpool open again as Joelinton, at the far post, headed back towards Barnes.
The English winger’s initial effort on goal was saved by Kelleher, but with Bruno Guimaraes blocking the view of Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Isak’s tap-in from the rebound was rescinded following a lengthy VAR review.
It was a poor performance from Liverpool, and on 64 minutes, they had shown little signs of improvement as Newcastle continued to pounce on every opportunity handed to them, with Isak coming the closest.
Chiesa pulled one back after replacing Ryan Gravenberch with 15 minutes remaining, but Liverpool couldn't find the guile to make a significant impact as Newcastle were crowned winners.
