Newcastle United ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought as they beat holders Liverpool 2-1 to win the League Cup with goals in each half by Dan Burn and Alexander Isak sparking a Geordie party at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Local hero Burn gave Newcastle a deserved lead in the 45th minute when the defender thumped in a header from a corner.
Roared on by a sea of fans clad in black and white, Newcastle took complete control of the match seven minutes after the break when Swedish forward Isak swept a shot past Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Premier League leaders Liverpool finally mustered a response when Federico Chiesa halved the deficit in stoppage time but the damage was done and the day belonged to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle who won the club’s first domestic trophy since 1955.
Newcastle were beaten two years ago in the League Cup final by Manchester United but from the start on Sunday they looked like a team determined to stamp their name in the city’s folklore as they plugged into the energy from their fans.
Liverpool on the other hand looked flat and appeared to be suffering a Champions League hangover after being knocked out of Europe by Paris St Germain on penalties on Tuesday.
After a cagey opening, Newcastle looked the greater threat although they had little to show for their efforts apart from a Sandro Tonali effort that flashed past the post.
Liverpool seemed happy to reach halftime all square and looked like achieving that modest ambition until Burn, called up by England for the first time this week, sent the Newcastle fans into raptures in the 45th minute.
The towering centre back, who returned to his local club in 2022, found himself marked by the diminutive Alexis Mac Allister and it proved a no-contest as he met Kieran Trippier’s corner to plant a header inside the far post past the diving Kelleher.
It was Burn’s first goal of the season and Newcastle’s first at Wembley for 25 long years since Rob Lee scored in a losing FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
They did not have to wait long for their next goal and it came from a much more likely source.
Seven minutes after the break, just after Isak had a goal ruled out for offside, Jacob Murphy headed a cross into the path of Isak who quick as a flash swept a shot past Kelleher in front of the massed ranks of black and white.
Liverpool’s first shot on target saw substitute Curtis Jones force Nick Pope to beat away his fierce drive but it almost got worse for a stunned Liverpool with Isak denied from close range by Kelleher.
After such a long wait it was never going to be drama-free for Newcastle and Chiesa’s neat finish, allowed after initially being ruled offside, ensured a few thousand chewed fingernails before the final whistle ended decades of despair.
