By Samuel A. March 16, 2025
Newcastle ended their 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy as they beat previous season holders Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup final. Although Federico Chiesa’s 94th minute goal set up a tense final minutes, it was not enough to help Liverpool find the equaliser that would have sent the game to extra time. A towering header from boyhood Newcastle fan Dan Burn just before the break and a sublime finish from talisman Alexander Isak just after the restart put Toon on course for a victory generations had longed for, especially after the heartbreak they suffered in 2023 when they were defeated by Manchester United.
“We wanted to do the football club proud today,” said Eddie Howe. “We are trying to break new ground and hopefully this is a turning point for us.”
The match started with Jacob Murphy and Sandro Tonali passing up decent opportunities with shots from distance as they looked to capitalise on a fast start, before Andy Robertson blocked efforts from Isak and Kieran Trippier. Bruno Guimaraes then directed a header straight at Caoimhin Kelleher, as Newcastle continued to build momentum and put pressure on Liverpool. Liverpool managed just a single shot in the first half and only two touches in the opposition box, so it seemed it would be just Newcastle’s luck to concede a penalty when the ball struck Trippier’s hand as he attempted to hook it out of the box. VAR reviewed the incident, but decided there had been no foul play.
In the first minute of stoppage time, they got the reward they deserved. Burn darted into the box from out wide, met an outswinging corner and planted a brilliant header home from 15 yards out. It was the stuff of dreams for the boyhood Toon fan. It got better less than 10 minutes into the second half when Isak swept a second into the bottom left corner after Jacob Murphy headed Tino Livramento’s cross into an inviting spot in the box.
Substitute Curtis Jones forced a superb save from Nick Pope just before the hour, but despite Arne Slot effectively deploying a front four as the conclusion neared, there was to be no surprising renaissance as Newcastle continued to block everything Liverpool threw at them.
In the 94th minute, Chiesa scampered through on goal and slid the ball home, but though he was initially flagged offside, VAR reviewed the incident, drew the lines and awarded the goal around two minutes later. But it was too late for the Reds, and this means they only have the Premier League left to fight for.
