Newcastle end 70-year domestic trophy drought with Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool
Newcastle ended their long wait for silverware by defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the 2025 Carabao Cup final.
Eddie Howe’s men entered their club’s history books, snapping a 70-year domestic prize drought, with this being their first League Cup success after two previous final disappointments.
Goals from local hero Dan Burn and ‘most valuable player’ Alexander Isak either side of half-time settled a contest in which the Reds were at times second-best.
FT: Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle
Newcastle become the 24th different side to win the EFL Cup. 🏆#CarabaoCupFinal | @bet365 | #Ad pic.twitter.com/mM7Vo2DkVw
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) March 16, 2025
The last Newcastle player to score at Wembley 25 years ago was Rob Lee, and the last Newcastle player to score in a cup final was Alan Gowling in 1976. The former Magpie ‘number 10’ turned 76 today. You could say it was written in the stars for Burn, whose ‘Shearer-like’ bullet header broke the deadlock.
It capped off an incredible first half in which Newcastle were superb, winning every challenge and asking Liverpool many questions. They won the shot count 9–1, the expected goals battle 0.71 vs 0.15, and the corner count 6–1.
Keeping this Liverpool team down is anything but routine, with the Reds—especially at full strength, or close to it—seldom losing all season. Arne Slot, managing his first cup final as Jürgen Klopp’s immediate successor, expected a response following the break, only to see Isak have a goal ruled offside before converting a Jacob Murphy cross.
It was a connection Virgil van Dijk and company at the back should have seen coming. Murphy has assisted Isak eight times for Newcastle this season; the most by any Premier League player for a teammate in all competitions.
Cue black-and-white bedlam in the home of English football. “This is really special,” came Gary Neville’s response on Sky Sports commentary. “They [the Newcastle fans] are almost crying, I’m almost crying for them. Alexander Isak, what a finish. What a game.”
We talk about moments in games and moments falling to certain players. Isak has hardly been involved, but this is his moment. Isak drills the ball into the corner. The finish was not easy; the ball bounced a yard in front of Isak, but he swept it in.
Could you blame the Newcastle fans watching through their fingers? Three generations of fans have failed to see their team win a domestic trophy. That long wait came to an emotional end.
Howe was under no illusion that his Newcastle team were the underdogs coming into this contest. It has been more than a decade since the Magpies beat Liverpool in any competition; furthermore, they have seldom been able to get to grips with Mohamed Salah.
But the former Bournemouth tactician pulled it off, with his side containing the mercurial Egyptian forward in particular. Salah has rarely been as quiet as he was this afternoon. He had 23 touches and no shots on goal, let alone creating a single chance.
Federico Chiesa came off the bench to score a goal in the 93rd minute, making the final moments of the match tense for Newcastle. However, they held firm and, in doing so, wrote a new chapter in the club’s history, with these players forever immortalised.
