liverpool vs Newcastle
Newcastle ended a 70-year drought for a major domestic trophy by beating defending champions Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup.
Their last major victory came in the 1955 FA Cup, and despite reaching five more finals since then – three FA Cups and two League Cups – they had been runners-up each time, with the latest defeat coming in 2023 when they lost 2-0 to Manchester United in the same fixture.
Toon was on track for a triumph that generations had yearned for thanks to a spectacular finish from talisman Alexander Isak shortly after the restart and a thunderous header from boyhood Newcastle supporter Dan Burn right before the half.
Even though Federico Chiesa’s goal in the 94th minute, which was verified following a protracted VAR review, set up a tense finish, Liverpool was unable to find the equalizer that would have forced extra time.
Eddie Howe stated, “Today we wanted to make the football club proud.” “Hopefully, this is a turning point for us as we strive to establish new territory.”
The Newcastle hoodoo was a topic of much conversation in the lead-up to the match. The players did not allow the players to be burdened by the supporters’ fervent desire for it to end. The black and white end of Wembley remained vocal throughout a promising start.
Sandro Tonali and Jacob Murphy missed good long-range shots as they attempted to take advantage of a quick start, and Andy Robertson stopped attempts from Kieran Trippier and Isak. Then Bruno Guimaraes headed directly at Caoimhin Kelleher.
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 event, but ruled there had been no foul play.
They received the award they were due in the first minute of stoppage time. With a fantastic header from 15 yards out, Burn met an outswinging corner and darted into the area from out wide. For the boyhood Toon fan, it was the stuff of dreams.
Less than ten minutes into the second half, Jacob Murphy headed Tino Livramento’s cross into an attractive area in the box, and Isak, just after seeing a close-range goal disallowed for offside, swept a second into the bottom left corner to improve the score.
Just before the hour, substitute Curtis Jones forced an incredible one-handed save from Nick Pope, but even though Arne Slot successfully used a front four as the end drew closer, there was no attack.
Despite being initially flagged offside, VAR reviewed the situation, drew the lines, and awarded the goal around two minutes after Chiesa scampered through on goal and put the ball home in the 94th minute. For the Reds, however, it was too late. The damage was already done.
Slot: In crucial situations, Newcastle stood taller.
Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool: Both goals resulted from Newcastle’s height and strength in the duels. We need to improve our ball skills, which is not a simple task. We need to make more as soon as you do have the ball. We waited for a little while.
“Usually, in a match like this, things open up a little more, but we gave them the optimism that they were ahead 1-0 before halftime. They will therefore put up an even greater effort for each additional ball.
“Norwich earned the victory overall. Energy was not the issue. They were really clever and had a good plan when they played over our press. I say it again: they are deserving of this victory. The game proceeded as planned. As they intended, it was a football match.
“I doubt any Liverpool supporter was pleased with what they witnessed, but it is a fact of life. We have experienced problems with Newcastle before. We did not find our groove, therefore it is a tribute to them.”
