Newcastle stunned Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley to end one of English football’s most famous trophy droughts.
Boyhood Toon fan Dan Burn and Alexander Isak scored either side of half-time to at long last halt the club’s 70-year wait for major domestic silverware that had stretched back to 1955.
Federico Chiesa’s goal off the bench in stoppage time gave well below-par Liverpool late hope and set up a grandstand finish, but Newcastle deservedly held on to finally end their agonising run of losses at the home of English football.
Newcastle started the brighter, with Harvey Barnes - deputising for the suspended Anthony Gordon down the left - and Jacob Murphy looking lively on either flank, the latter delivering some dangerous early crosses into the box.
Ryan Gravenberch had to block behind after a neat one-two involving Barnes in the box, with Caoimhin Kelleher under pressure from set-pieces as Liverpool looked uncertain trying to deal with the threat of the towering Burn.
Sandro Tonali curled wide after Barnes combined with Alexander Isak, with Burn causing more problems from corners as he met the ball again and Bruno Guimaraes’ flicked header was straight at Kelleher.
Liverpool were denied a penalty after the ball bounced up and hit the hand of Trippier inside the Newcastle box as he defended a cross against Luis Diaz.
Newcastle went into the break deservedly ahead, Burn making a mockery of Alexis Mac Allister’s feeble attempts to mark him as he powered an unstoppable header from a Kieran Trippier corner - won after Barnes’ strike was deflected behind in Ibrahima Konate - low and beyond the despairing dive of Kelleher.
Liverpool’s best moment of an extremely underwhelming first period came after they fell behind in stoppage time, with Mohamed Salah threatening for the first time as his cross to the back post was knocked down by Diaz and fired over by Diogo Jota.
Newcastle picked up where they left off after another important defensive contribution from Joelinton, who then got free at the back post from a corner before Kelleher saved from Burn and Isak slammed in - but the offside flag was up against Bruno Guimaraes.
No matter as the Swede did then quickly get his goal, curling into the bottom corner after Murphy had knocked down Tino Livramento’s cross.
Isak spurned a great chance to put the final to bed, only picking out Kelleher from close range after being teed up by Barnes before Fabian Schar fired wide.
Arne Slot threw on all of his attacking substitutes in a desperate attempt to find a route back into the game and Nick Pope had to be at full stretch to tip over a fierce drive from Curtis Jones.
However, Liverpool just could not find any rhythm until an extended period of stoppage time, when Chiesa slotted beyond Pope from Harvey Elliott’s pass. The offside flag went up, but the goal was eventually given after a lengthy VAR check lasting for two minutes.
Newcastle held on though to spark scenes of jubilation on the pitch and in the stands, where famous fans like Ant and Dec and club legend Alan Shearer celebrated the end of the club’s long trophy drought.
