Newcastle defeated defending champion Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup final, ending their70 year drought for a major domestic trophy.

Newcastle won the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, defeating defending champion Liverpool 2-1 to snap their seventy-year drought without a major domestic prize.

 Despite winning the 1955 FA Cup final, the Magpies lost their following five final appearances (two League Cup, three FA Cup) in 2023, losing 2-0 to Manchester United in that same match.

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 equaliser that would have forced extra time.

"We wanted to do the football club proud today," Eddie Howe stated.  "We are trying to break new ground and hopefully this is a turning point for us."

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 towards Caoimhin Kelleher.

 It appeared that Newcastle would be unlucky to give up a penalty when the ball hit Trippier's hand as he tried to hook it out of the box, given Liverpool only managed one effort in the first half and two touches in the opposition area.  After reviewing the situation, VAR determined that there was 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.

Arne Slot successfully used a front four as the end drew closer, but there was to be no assault, even though substitute Curtis Jones forced an incredible one-handed save from Nick Pope just before the hour.

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 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.

As I keep saying, "I don't think anyone who is a Liverpool fan was happy with what they saw, but sometimes that happens. It's not the first time we have difficulties with Newcastle. That's a compliment to them because we didn't get into our rhythm." "All in all, Newcastle deserved the win. It wasn't about energy. They played over our press, very smart, a good idea."

Howe: We were desperate to put a stop to years of misery, so I'm emotional.

Eddie Howe, manager of Newcastle:

 "Very, extremely emotional.  I'm not like that at all.  We only wanted to make everyone proud because we understood the stakes.

 "After so many years of suffering, we were desperate to attempt and win the title.

 "The vibe was different.  Everything will be regarded favourably since we won the game, but we were well-prepared, and I had great faith in the players' abilities.

 "Today, we aimed to honour the football team.  Hopefully, this marks a turning point for us as we strive to establish new ground.

"With set plays, we have worked continuously on certain ones for two weeks for this game. "Dan [Burn] will be the first to say, he hasn't practiced like that! All of the guys were fantastic but particularly him. He was a giant."