Newcastle Truimph over Liverpool in the carabao Cup final at Wembly.

Updated by Faith Barbara.N. Ruhinda at 8:20 EAT on Monday 17th March 2025

The tears flowed and the joy was unconfined as Newcastle United finally exorcised the ghosts of 56 years of failure on a Wembley stage that has haunted them most.

When referee John Brooks sounded the final whistle to confirm their 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Liverpool, a giant black-and-white wave of celebration swept around the stadium that had delivered nine successive defeats since Newcastle won the 1955 FA Cup.

Finally, they had ended the long wait. It was 56 years since a major trophy landed on Tyneside in the shape of the long-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the ensuing years an era when the club has become a punchline and punchbag for other fans to feast on.

Now – after a fully deserved victory engineered by a manager in Eddie Howe who has transformed the club in a time of riches under Saudi Arabian owners – the curse has been cast aside.

Wembley was barely big enough to contain the noise and emotion that fuelled a magnificent performance, some fans in tears even before the end, many covering their eyes unable to watch as the clock stretched towards 100 minutes and the glorious release of victory.

The black-and-white backdrop Newcastle’s followers provided delivered a wall of sound as their celebrations were played out to the north-east anthem “Blaydon Races”.

Dan Burn and Alexander Isak scored either side of half-time to give Newcastle the control they deserved, but when Federico Chiesa replied four minutes into added time to give Liverpool unlikely, undeserved hope, those painful memories of past years were revisited for a few moments.

The tension was unbearable at the Newcastle end, but Howe’s team managed those final seconds as skilfully as they had everything else, and Liverpool were unable to respond.

Howe and his players have secured their place in Tyneside history. The Carabao Cup may not be top of trophy priorities elsewhere, but this is a triumph that will mean everything for a giant of a club and fanbase.

And the manager may find himself given a statue of St James’ Park, near those of Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer, with the latter living through every Wembley moment with the rest of the Toon Army.

Howe is the first English manager to win either the FA Cup or League Cup since Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008. He is also the first English manager to win this trophy since Steve McClaren at Middlesbrough in 2004.

Newcastle looked to have learned every lesson from their loss to Manchester United in this final two years ago. This time they were ready. This time they rose to the occasion.

The fierce defensive discipline of Howe’s side saw Liverpool dangerman Mohamed Salah reduced to a peripheral figure.

He failed to record a shot or create a chance for Liverpool in a game he started for only the third time, after a League Cup tie against Arsenal when he played for 61 minutes, and the first leg of the Champions League last-16 game with Paris St-Germain, when he was substituted with four minutes left.

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