Newcastle beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, winning its first major trophy under Saudi PIF ownership.
Dan Byrne broke the deadlock with a well-placed header at the final moments of the first half, with Alexander Isaac doubled his team’s lead in 52 minutes. The alternative Federico Chiesa ran at the right time to give the Reds some dark comfort in the four minutes of the second half stop time.
team
Despite Alison Becker’s incredible form during posts in the recent match, Liverpool boss Arne Slot has decided to maintain the faith that played a key role in the team’s responsibilities towards this final. Without Trent Alexander Arnold, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez, Jarrell Quanza started on the defensive flank on the right, with Andy Robertson on the left and Virgil van Dik and Ibrahima Conate at the centre of the defense. Ryan Gravenburch and Alexis Mac Alistair played two deeper midfield roles, while Dominique Zobozrai joined Mohamed Sarah and Luis Diaz to support Diogo Jota in the offense.
Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe also had problems with his defense. With Sven Botman, Jamal Lascelles and Lewis Hall away, the quartet of Tino Livramento, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier formed the backline in front of goalkeeper Nick Pope. Sandro Tonari, Jorington and Bruno Guimarès were in the middle, but Wingers Jacob Murphy and Harvey Burns were attacked and intercepted Isaac as they were not without an interrupted Anthony Gordon.
Match Summary
There was speculation before the match that Newcastle might struggle with the nerves as he aims to end the 56-year trophy plant drought since winning the 1969 InterCity Fair Cup, but there were no signs of hesitation in the early stages.
Harvey Barnes came close early and piloted a very wide cross on the post, while Sandro Tonali missed the target slightly with curl’s efforts from outside the box.
Caoimhin Kelleher was then caught up in the action, responding quickly to follow the horns and suffocate the ball with Bruno Guimarães’ feet, with both Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier quickly blocking the effort.
Newcastle may have wondered if their breakthrough would come, but they finally found the opening game with a halftime stroke.
The goal came from Byrne, who stood up brilliantly to meet Trippia Corner. His header crossed the goal and returned to a far corner, igniting the celebration on the other side of Wembley.
Liverpool’s response was informing us that the first shot of the half – a whimsical effort from Diogo Jota – summed up how the game spaced out.
Early moments in the second half suggested a potential response for Liverpool, with only the final groove sliding challenge from Jolington preventing Lewis Dias from latching into Jota’s cutback.
However, the Reds made a narrow escape when Isaac’s close-range finish from the corner was ruled out due to a marginal offside.
Appropriately, it was the Swedes who doubled the lead and cleaned the ball calmly after Murphy defeated Robertson in the air and nodded Tino Livlament’s cross to his path.
Liverpool quickly registered their first shot on target. Curtis Jones tried to close the move on the job, but Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope responded sharply, pushing the effort over the bar with a strong save.
In a last effort to turn things around as full-time approaches, Slot introduced Cody Gakupo, who has returned with Federico Chiesa, who is rarely seen.
It was Chiesa who latched into the pass before finishing smartly, making sure he was inside.
However, Liverpool failed to create another clear chance at the moment of dying, allowing Newcastle to see the victory and make the player’s name into history.
Magpie desires win
Newcastle certainly deserved to win this contest, and by this the trophy was meant to be a winner. Of course, statistics can be misleading when trying to identify which teams outperformed the others, but this was not the case.
In fact, one statistic tells it all. Newcastle won 51 duels. 13 earned 13 over his opponent. They showed grit and determination from the start to the end whistle, unlike the Premier League leader, who was second best in all of the night.
Liverpool’s lack of desire could to some extent allow them to win twice in the last three years, and the Champions League heartbreak they suffered at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain after 120 minutes left that mark in their spirit after a penalty shootout.
Liverpool left behind lessons to learn
Anyone who suggests that Liverpool hasn’t been able to do well by securing only the Premier League title this season may be a good fit to revisit preseason forecasts from August, when many experts ran around the season when Jurgencrop was out of nowhere.
Still, if the slots are aiming to build a star side shooter in the near future, last week provided valuable insights.
Against PSG, Liverpool’s offense appeared at a level below the true elite of the Champions League, but here it was scattered across physically superior aspects. This is an issue that has emerged this season as well.
If the slot makes the most of these consecutive set folds, he must take the lessons he has learned and apply them in the coming summers. At this point, a few key players are walking slowly towards the exit door, so it will certainly be interesting to see what the Liverpool team will look like at the beginning of 26/2025.
How about Isaac?
Alexander Isaac has once again proved that he can only be a handful of the best defenders out there. As a result, his future has been the subject of many speculation over the past few months, and many wonder whether he is ready to wait for this Newcastle project to bloom in full or seeking faster glory elsewhere. If he chooses the latter option, he is reportedly not short of potential destinations – including Liverpool.
But Newcastle now shows that the trophy can also win a black and white shirt. It doesn’t weigh as much as the Premier League or Champions League, but the Carabao Cup is not a bad first step towards greater success. Isak remains on the contract for three years and the club is placed in a strong position to refuse all advances in his services, but the key is clearly to convince players that his potential can be achieved at St. James Park.