Newcastle United Ends 56-Year Trophy Drought with Carabao Cup Triumph
Tears flowed freely at Wembley Stadium as Newcastle United finally broke their 56-year trophy drought with a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. The win marks the end of nearly six decades of heartbreak for the Toon Army, who had endured nine consecutive Wembley defeats since their 1955 FA Cup triumph.
"We knew what was at stake for all of our fans. We wanted to do them proud and win the trophy," said an emotional Eddie Howe, who becomes the first English manager to win the League Cup since Steve McClaren with Middlesbrough in 2004.
When referee John Brooks blew the final whistle, a massive black and white wave of celebration swept through Wembley, with countless fans in tears even before the end. Many had covered their eyes, unable to watch as the clock stretched toward 100 minutes before the glorious release of victory.
Dan Burn, fresh off his first England call-up at age 32, opened the scoring with a powerful header from Kieran Trippier's corner in first-half stoppage time. The Blyth-born defender, towering over Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister, took full advantage of the curious matchup to give Newcastle the lead.
Alexander Isak doubled Newcastle's advantage, reacting quickly to sweep home Jacob Murphy's knockdown, living up to pre-match predictions that he would be the potential match-winner. Meanwhile, Brazilian midfielder Joelinton was arguably the best player on the pitch, running powerfully and tackling ferociously throughout.
Liverpool's Federico Chiesa pulled one back four minutes into eight minutes of added time, briefly reviving painful memories for Newcastle supporters. However, Howe's team managed those final tense seconds skillfully, preventing Liverpool from mounting a meaningful response.
"I am so, so pleased with the result and performance. We deserved to win but it was tough when Liverpool scored. I was thinking about extra time. We always make it difficult for ourselves. It was never going to be 2-0," Howe admitted.
The victory is particularly sweet for Howe, who took over at Newcastle in November 2021 when the club was 19th in the Premier League. Since then, he has not only guided them to Champions League qualification but now delivered their first major trophy since the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.
"We were well aware of history. We wanted to do the club proud. We wanted to score. We wanted to perform, we wanted to win. We are breaking new ground. I thought we were magnificent," Howe said.
Newcastle's defensive discipline effectively neutralized Liverpool's star forward Mohamed Salah, who failed to record a shot or create a chance for his team—something that has happened only twice before in games he has started.
The long-awaited triumph means Howe and his players have secured their place in Tyneside history. While the Carabao Cup might not be the most prestigious trophy in English football, it represents everything to a club and fanbase that has waited so long for success.
As the theme from the film "Local Hero"—a permanent part of the St. James' Park soundtrack—rang out at Wembley, it seemed especially fitting for Dan Burn, whose name will now be etched in Newcastle folklore forever.
"We worked consistently for two weeks on set-plays just for this game and if you'd seen us in practice you would have said we had no chance. We couldn't believe Dan Burn scored. He hasn't been training like that," Howe revealed, adding an element of surprise to their carefully crafted victory.
This victory was not simply for a football club and its supporters but for an entire city that has waited 56 years to enjoy such an occasion—a day that will live in Geordie memories forever as the long-overdue celebration made its way from Wembley all the way back to Tyneside.
