Newcastle Are Champions After 56 Years of Waiting, Defeating Liverpool
After a 56-year wait, Newcastle United clinched their first major trophy since 1969, defeating last season’s champions and record holders of the most League Cup titles (10 times), Liverpool, 2-1 in the final of the English League Cup at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London.
In front of 88,513 spectators, Newcastle stripped Liverpool of their title and added to their woes after their exit from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday. It was a historic achievement for manager Eddie Howe, who, since taking charge in 2021, led the Saudi-owned Newcastle to their first major title since their 1969 win in the “Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.” This victory ended a long wait, as they had been runners-up in the League Cup twice and the FA Cup three times.
Notably, Howe became the first English manager to lead a Premier League club to a major title since Harry Redknapp’s FA Cup win with Portsmouth in 2008. Howe said, “I was emotional all day, which is unusual for me on match day. But we knew exactly what was at stake today for everyone here, for all the people in Newcastle, and we just wanted to make them proud.”
He continued, “We were desperate to try to win the cup after all those years of pain. We’re opening new horizons, and I think we were fantastic today.”
In parallel to this historic achievement, Newcastle is also aiming to return to the Champions League, sitting in sixth place in the league, just two points behind fourth place, which qualifies for the Champions League. With a game in hand, their victory in the League Cup guarantees them a spot in the UEFA Conference League playoffs.
Key Moments of the Match
Howe started the match with an experienced lineup, including five players aged 30 or older, with an average age of 29 years and 13 days, the oldest average age for a team in a final since Manchester City in 2018.
Before halftime, Dan Burn gave Newcastle the lead with a header from a corner taken by Kieran Trippier. Burn scored his first goal in over a year, ending a 54-match goal drought (45′).
Minutes into the second half, one of the Premier League’s top strikers, Swedish forward Alexander Isak, who is currently third in the league’s top scorers with 19 goals, doubled the lead with another header from a ball delivered by Jacob Murphy (52′).
Substitute Federico Chiesa brought hope back for Liverpool, finding space between defenders after a pass from Harvey Elliott to score a low, powerful shot past goalkeeper Nick Pope (90+4′). However, the final six minutes were not enough for a comeback.
Howe commented, “It was tough when Liverpool scored. I was thinking about extra time. We always make things hard on ourselves.” He added, “I want to enjoy this. I’m always thinking about tomorrow, but I’ll put the training books aside for a few days.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said, “It’s a very disappointing result. The game went as Newcastle wanted. They deserved to win.” He added, “They outplayed us in the aerial duels.”
