Updated: Mar 16, 2025, 03:15 pm
Newcastle United ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought as they beat holders Liverpool 2-1 to win the Carabao 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 Caoimhín 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 Carabao 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 by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties on Tuesday.
After a cagey opening, Newcastle looked to be the greater threat, although they had little to show apart from a Sandro Tonali effort that flashed past the post.
Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Liverpool seemed happy to reach halftime all square until Burn, called up by England for the first time this week, sent the Newcastle fans into raptures in the 45th minute.
The towering center back, who returned to his local club in 2022, found himself marked by the diminutive Alexis Mac Allister, and it proved to be 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 semifinal 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 the forward swept a shot who quick as a flash 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, ensuring many chewed fingernails before the final whistle ended decades of despair.
