LONDON – Newcastle United ended their long domestic trophy drought in style, defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak secured a historic victory, marking the club’s first major domestic silverware since 1955.
Local hero Burn ignited the celebrations just before halftime, powering home a header in the 45th minute to reward Newcastle’s dominant first-half performance. The Magpies extended their lead early in the second half when Swedish striker Isak clinically finished past Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, sending Newcastle’s black-and-white-clad supporters into raptures.
Liverpool, the Premier League’s runaway leaders, struggled to find their rhythm and only managed to pull a goal back in stoppage time through substitute Federico Chiesa. However, the late effort was not enough to deny Eddie Howe’s side a famous win.
Two years after suffering heartbreak in the League Cup final against Manchester United—Newcastle’s ninth consecutive defeat at Wembley—the Magpies finally wrote a new chapter in their history, driven by the energy of their passionate fans.
“It’s all for these fans,” said Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães, who joined the club following the 2021 Saudi-backed takeover. “They deserve everything. When I first came here, I said I wanted to put my name in history. We can now say we are the champions again.”
Liverpool Struggle as Newcastle Take Control
Liverpool, still reeling from their midweek Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain, looked uncharacteristically flat. A telling statistic summed up their struggles—star forward Mohamed Salah failed to register a single shot or create a chance in a full 90-minute performance, the first time this has happened in his Liverpool career.
Manager Arne Slot, in his first Wembley final, admitted his side had been second-best. “A disappointing result and performance,” he said. “The game went exactly how Newcastle wanted it to go. They deserved to win.”
Newcastle carried the greater attacking threat from the outset, with Sandro Tonali narrowly missing the target early on. Liverpool looked content to reach halftime level, but their resistance was broken when Burn rose above Alexis Mac Allister to head home Kieran Trippier’s corner, leaving Kelleher with no chance.
The towering defender’s goal—his first of the season—was also Newcastle’s first at Wembley in 25 years, since Rob Lee scored in an FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.
Isak’s Brilliance and a Nervy Finish
Newcastle doubled their lead just seven minutes into the second half. Jacob Murphy nodded a cross into the path of Isak, who instinctively fired past Kelleher to send the Newcastle fans into wild celebrations.
Isak’s goal—his 23rd of the season—cemented his place as Newcastle’s latest striking hero, following in the footsteps of club legends like Jackie Milburn and Alan Shearer.
Liverpool pushed forward in the latter stages, with substitute Curtis Jones forcing a save from Nick Pope. Isak almost added another, only for Kelleher to deny him from close range.
The game wasn’t without late drama. Chiesa’s composed finish, initially ruled offside but awarded after a VAR review, gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope in stoppage time. However, Newcastle held firm, and when the final whistle blew, it signaled the end of decades of near-misses and heartbreak.
For Newcastle fans—many of whom were not even born when the club last lifted a domestic trophy—the celebrations had only just begun.
