Liverpool missed the chance to win a first trophy of head coach Arne Slot’s tenure as Newcastle United secured a historic triumph at Wembley and lifted the Carabao Cup.
The Reds, record 10-time winners of this prize and holders going into the game, were outdone in virtually every department by Eddie Howe’s team, who struck either side of half-time through defender Dan Burn and top-scorer Alexander Isak. Substitute Federico Chiesa halved the deficit in stoppage time to cue a nervy finish for the Geordies but a leveller couldn’t be found.
That left the Magpies, who lost in the final of this competition to Manchester United two years ago, to celebrate a first major trophy since 1969’s European Fairs Cup and a first piece of domestic silverware since the FA Cup success of 1955.
They now know they’ll be in Europe in at least some capacity next season, with this result earning them a UEFA Conference League qualifying play-off place. Reaching the Champions League for the second time in three seasons will be the aim for the remainder of the campaign, however.
It is one that looks thoroughly achievable, too; Howe’s side, with 10 to play, have a game in hand on the clubs around them in the Premier League table, are currently a point off fifth – which, this term, looks set to be a position that will earn a spot in Europe’s premier club competition – and just two behind Chelsea in fourth.
The Merseysiders, meanwhile, are left to lick their wounds after a damaging week, which also saw them exit the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
A campaign so often characterised by admirably high levels of quality and consistency has hit its rockiest patch, by some distance. Navigating such swift changes in mood, in momentum, is part of football’s challenging nature.
The arrival of the first international break since November may not be overly welcome in such circumstances, but a chance to asses the bigger picture may prove beneficial.
They remain superbly placed to secure the Premier League title; second-placed Arsenal’s 1-0 home victory over Chelsea earlier in the day means Slot’s charges lead the division by 12 points with nine games to go.
That’s where focus will have to turn, and learnings from these testing few days will have to be applied, after club football’s hiatus, with their return to action coming against Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Wednesday 2nd April.
Burn fuels Reds’ set-piece struggles
As is so often the case in football, set pieces were a decisive factor.
Burn’s brilliantly directed 45th-minute headed opener, from an expertly flighted Kieran Trippier corner, saw a fortnight or so of training ground work and several moments of promise within the opening half come to fruition.
"We've been working on those corners tirelessly for two weeks," said Howe in his post-match press conference. "We've had mixed success, I can be honest, in training, and he's delivered, he's delivered one from a long range as well. I thought it was an incredible header."
The imposing 32-year-old got first contact on three of Newcastle’s six corners prior to the interval. Floated deliveries to the far post, combined with Liverpool’s zonal set-up, saw the Merseysiders’ strongest aerial presences – centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté – taken out of the equation, while Burn was left isolated with the comparatively diminutive Alexis Mac Allister.
Having twice nodded down to captain Bruno Guimarães, who saw each of his subsequent attempts gathered by Caoimhín Kelleher, it proved third time lucky for the Newcastle fan as his header from more than 12 yards flew back across goal and nestled in the bottom-left corner.
It’s been quite the week for Burn, the lad from Blyth whose route back to his boyhood club after he was released from their youth ranks took in the likes of Blyth Spartans, Darlington, Fulham, Yeovil Town, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Brighton and Hove Albion.
He ended Sunday with the player of the match trophy and having scored a goal that both helped end that agonising wait and already feels one of the most iconic in Newcastle’s history. All that after receiving his first senior England call-up on Friday from new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.
Slot’s side opted not to, at least visibly, alter their approach after the restart and were almost punished when Isak forced home a rebound in the wake of a 51st-minute corner.
The assistant’s flag offered a reprieve, with Guimarães stood in an offside position – and sufficiently close to Kelleher to be deemed active – as Burn bundled an effort goalwards.
In any case, Isak doubled the lead moments later when Jacob Murphy headed Tino Livramento’s cross down to the Swedish striker, who swept a sublime half-volley into the bottom-left corner.
"That is part of logic, that they either have to go far away from our zone, which, 99 out of 100 times that will never lead to a goal, or they have to arrive in our zone and then it's an 'equal battle [with Van Dijk and Konaté]' if you want to call it like this," said Slot in his own post-match briefing when asked about how his team go about defending corners.
"So, credit to him [Burn]. I think he's one of the few players who can score a goal from that distance with his head."
Considering the Reds had only conceded two goals from corners in their 46 matches across all competitions in 2024/25 prior to this one, opting not to tweak their approach to such situations was perhaps understandable.
While always easily said in hindsight, it did feel like a more proactive in-game solution was required in order to heed the warning signs. An awareness that upcoming opponents will have every reason to attempt to replicate elements of the Magpies’ shrewd methods will also be required, of course.
Everton, Fulham and West Ham United, who are next up for Liverpool after the international break, are among the most aerially threatening Premier League teams.
Midfield and right-back questions persist
The difficulties on the day did, needless to say, go beyond set pieces.
Liverpool’s midfield three of Ryan Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai – who have been such a source of strength for so much of the Merseysiders’ impressive campaign – endured one of their most ineffective outings to date.
That, again, was largely credit to the excellent work of their opponents. Newcastle’s central triumvirate of Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton were as relentless as they were classy.
The Geordies’ familiarly flexible midfield dynamics often saw Tonali step high onto Gravenberch, while the aforementioned pair flanking him worked hard to limit the influence and options of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.
The Toon’s man-to-man press from goal-kicks led to Liverpool persistently opting to go short, likely in an attempt to attract it, before going long, in an effort to go over it – especially in the early stages.
While that saw them rarely lose possession in dangerous areas and brought them some progression, it simultaneously played into Newcastle’s hands. Second balls were consistently picked up by those in black and white shirts – often one of the midfielders.
And, when they got it, they tended to use it incisively and intelligently. Exchanges were sharp and crisp, fouls were won and, invariably, Howe’s side plotted their way into a more favourable position.
The fact that all of the victors’ midfield three played the full match again reflected their effectiveness.
Gravenberch’s 57th-minute shift to centre-back, and substitution 17 minutes later, and Mac Allister making way for Cody Gakpo midway through the second period, demonstrated the contrast.
Curtis Jones, Darwin Núñez, Gakpo, Harvey Elliott and Chiesa were all introduced from the bench prior to the 75th minute, as Slot shifted to a shape akin to 3-2-5.
The Reds first shot of any description didn't arrive until the last play of the first half, when Diogo Jota volleyed wide after Luis Díaz knocked down an inviting Mohamed Salah cross. Their first shot on-target only materialised after 58 minutes, when Jones managed to successfully attract and play through the press before his 15-yard attempt was palmed over by Nick Pope.
Two shots on-target to the victors' six. 0.89 Expected Goals to the Geordies' 1.84. The eye test, the numbers, they all had the look of an inefficient day for the Reds and a game plan terrifically executed by Newcastle.
Given Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai have played so much and been such a driving force for the Reds, the potential influence of fatigue – physical and mental – ought to be factored in.
That feels especially relevant after such an intense Champions League tie against a PSG team who, as Slot said post-match, may well be the best in Europe at present.
The French champions’ own midfield of João Neves, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz posed Liverpool’s plenty of challenges, particularly in the Parisians’ dominant Parc des Princes first-leg showing.
The Reds’ central three had largely won the battle in their side’s 2-0 Anfield league win over Newcastle 18 days earlier, but Howe was without the tireless Joelinton and ruthless Isak on that occasion and employed a considerably altered tactical set-up. The Merseysiders’ midfield, ultimately, looked jaded compared to their direct opponents at Wembley.
This, though, was a Toon triumvirate who had already given Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones and – from the bench – Szoboszlai one of their most uncomfortable evenings of the campaign in December when the teams played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at St. James’ Park.
There are arguably caveats, but the excellence of the Magpies’ midfield – and team as a whole – certainly shouldn’t be diluted by any such context. They were the far more effective outfit on the day.
Slot and co are unlikely to come up against many midfields of such a level in the remainder of the season, but an upping in intensity and incision looks a necessary requirement in the last nine league matches.
Liverpool’s right-back situation is another interesting one. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury on Tuesday night appears likely to rule him out for the bulk of what remains of the season and, with regular backups Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez already sidelined, it was Jarell Quansah, centre-back by trade, who stepped in from the bench against PSG and from the start on Sunday.
The 22-year-old, whose header was inches from putting his team back ahead in the tie in midweek, was solid enough against Harvey Barnes – who started on the left of Howe’s front three in the absence of the suspended Anthony Gordon – and Livramento, although he was outnumbered as the pair combined in the build-up to Isak’s goal.
The absence of Alexander-Arnold’s unique range of passing does, inevitably, take a considerable asset from the Reds’ armoury, though. Bradley and Gomez are also more familiar with offering attacking output from that position.
It didn’t feel the most natural fit, particularly in possession. Salah’s peripheral influence on the day felt both a partial symptom of the No.66’s absence and of another nifty component of Newcastle’s game plan. So often, access to the Egyptian, who has 32 goals across all club competitions in 2024/25 so far, was blocked.
Bradley’s return oughtn’t be too far off but, if Quansah is to remain in that position after the international break, a rethinking of his interpretation of the role may be worthwhile in order to more successfully platform his attributes and those throughout the team.
A more reserved approach could give left-back Andy Robertson more scope to advance, for instance.
As much as they are largely undesirable lessons, it does feel like Slot will be able to learn plenty from this stinging afternoon.
Chiesa and Elliott offer encouragement
One of those lessons could very well be that Chiesa and Elliott are worthy of more minutes.
Having been introduced in the 74th minute for Gravenberch and Díaz respectively, the two combined nicely to score Liverpool’s goal 20 minutes later.
Stoppage time saw Elliott capitalise on a rare Guimarães misjudgement to dispossess the Brazilian as he attempted to lead a counterattack and the 21-year-old’s defence splitting pass then found Chiesa’s dart in behind.
The Italian took the ball neatly in his stride with his right foot before he tucked a sharp left-footed finish beyond the advancing Pope and into the bottom-right corner.
The offside flag went up incorrectly against the No.14 but a VAR review saw the goal awarded. The crispness and incision of that passage of play was in striking contrast to much of what had gone before.
Elliott, as he did last season, has put together a succession of promising substitute appearances in the last fortnight, so his impact perhaps shouldn’t have been all that surprising. While he is a diminutive physical presence, his technical soundness regularly contributes to upping the tempo and sustaining pressure.
Chiesa, though, hadn’t featured since playing every minute of the disappointing FA Cup exit at Plymouth Argyle five weeks earlier, which remains one of only three starts for the 27-year-old this term.
That made his level of influence, arguably, the biggest positive on a day that was short of them.
He’d already chased back to make an excellent sliding challenge and shown a willingness to receive the ball in dangerous attacking areas prior to his goal.
There was an invigorating intensity about him that suggested more such cameos in the Premier League run-in could be to the Reds’ benefit.
The evident quality he possesses with both feet means he has the look of someone who could open up fresh attacking angles, especially late on in a finely balanced contest.
While the roundedness of the Merseysiders’ offensive options has been lauded for much of this season, there have been steadily growing concerns in recent weeks, particularly off the back of the Champions League exit, about the amount of ruthlessness and decisive quality available to Slot, aside from Salah.
Neither Jota nor Núñez have genuinely made the centre-forward role their own this term, while Díaz’s output from the left flank has waned as the campaign has progressed. Granted, the latter may not have been helped by Gakpo’s recent injury absence and the subsequent lack of opportunities to rotate. More dynamism, more efficiency, appears necessary in the final third.
An uptick in performance is required in the meantime, but the summer transfer window ought to see such issues addressed. The contract situations of Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah, whose current deals each run until the end of June, will inevitably play a part in how the Reds approach the market.
Having arrived in a cut-price deal from Juventus last summer, it would be pleasing from a Liverpool perspective to see Chiesa play a more prominent role as the season reaches the business end.
There have been false dawns for the forward before, but this represented his most significant contribution to date, and one that came within one of the season’s most intense games and atmospheres.
It was at that same end of Wembley where Chiesa hit one of his career zeniths in the summer of 2021. His rasping drive gave Italy the lead against Spain in the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 tournament that was delayed by a year due to COVID-19, helping his country on their way to lifting the trophy five days later. Perhaps he tapped in to some of that spirit here.
Viewed, back then, as someone set to be one of football’s leading talents for years to come, a serious knee injury and patchy playing time have hindered much of his career since.
He still, though, has the look of a player who can be a difference-maker, and who may just go up a few notches when the stakes are at their highest. Such habits, especially come springtime, are rarely a bad thing to have in and around a squad that are still pursuing a big prize.
Positive response required in April
The relative scarcity of setbacks within Slot’s debut campaign on Merseyside demonstrates just how good it has generally been.
That, of course, tends to come with the catch that, when setbacks do materialise, there is every chance they will sting – and cost – that bit more.
It is easy to forget that, in the wake of Jürgen Klopp’s emotional departure at the end of last season, few viewed the Reds as genuine title contenders going in to 2024/25. Securing a Champions League place, and perhaps a third-placed finish behind likely title-chasers Manchester City and Arsenal, was seen as par by many.
A unique combination of circumstances have played a part in them stretching their lead at the top, chiefly the injuries and inconsistencies that have hampered City and the Gunners for much of the season, but Slot never appeared to subscribe to the above view regarding what represented par.
The Dutchman pushed standards high from the start. He and his players have dealt calmly with comparatively gentle changes in the wind so far, and there will be an awareness of the importance of a positive response when they return to action.
Last month’s FA Cup defeat to Championship strugglers Plymouth means the league will be their sole focus in the season’s final weeks.
Four days after hosting local rivals Everton, they travel to Marco Silva’s impressive Fulham on Sunday 6th April. They look set to have approximately a week between their fixtures beyond that. West Ham’s visit is followed by a trip to Leicester City and the hosting of Tottenham Hotspur.
May begins by visiting Chelsea before Arsenal come to Anfield. If the Gunners take maximum points in their preceding five league outings, the Merseysiders will need to have collected at least 16 in theirs to ensure the title is secured prior to facing Mikel Arteta’s side.
The campaign then concludes by first travelling to Brighton – a game that will likely be moved to the following midweek if the Seagulls reach the FA Cup final – and by hosting Crystal Palace on Sunday 25th.
That, Liverpool hope, will be the day the Premier League trophy is lifted at Anfield. It’s clear that plenty of work is still required to secure that league title, but a strong platform to do so has been built.
