Newcastle United won their first major domestic trophy since 1955 by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final, ending a winless run against the Reds that stretched back to December 2015.
Before the match, Eddie Howe mentioned that the team had learned from their last final two years ago and made changes. His side started well, though Harvey Barnes missed the target from Jacob Murphy’s cross. Murphy and Sandro Tonali also couldn’t trouble Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Caoimhín Kelleher. Meanwhile, Liverpool, who had just lost a tough match to Paris Saint-Germain, struggled to create chances despite having plenty of possession.
Newcastle kept pushing forward, and Kelleher had to come off his line to stop Bruno Guimarães after Dan Burn won a header from a corner. Andrew Robertson made two crucial blocks, stopping a header from Alexander Isak and a shot from Kieran Trippier. Kelleher then caught Guimarães’ header from another corner. Just before half-time, Burn once again rose highest to meet a corner, this time heading the ball perfectly into the far post to send Newcastle fans wild.
Early in the second half, another corner led to Isak scoring, but the goal was ruled out as Guimarães was offside. However, Newcastle didn’t lose focus, and moments later, Isak found the net again. Tino Livramento crossed the ball, Murphy nodded it down, and Isak finished clinically. Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, made changes, bringing on Curtis Jones, who soon forced Nick Pope into a save. Kelleher denied Isak again, Murphy’s shot went just wide, and Tonali also had an effort saved as Newcastle kept up the pressure.
With eight minutes of added time announced, Newcastle fans were anxious, and their nerves worsened when Harvey Elliott set up Federico Chiesa to score. Despite that, and the game running beyond 100 minutes, Newcastle held on. Howe and his players made history, ending the club’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy and winning their first-ever EFL Cup.
For Liverpool, it was their second defeat in a row for the first time this season, meaning they missed the chance to add to their 10 previous EFL Cup titles.
