Newcastle United broke a 70-year domestic trophy drought by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the EFL Cup final at Wembley, winning the competition for the first time. It also was their first victory over the Reds since 2015.
Eddie Howe’s team began brightly enough, with Jacob Murphy and Sandro Tonali both threatening without forcing Caoimhín Kelleher into a save.
Liverpool failed to carve any clear openings after their midweek Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain despite dominating possession. Newcastle’s one-way traffic finally translated into a goal just before the break as Dan Burn’s towering header from a corner crept in off the far post, sending his teammates into ecstatic celebrations.
Newcastle seemed to have a second early in the second half, only for Alexander Isak’s goal to be ruled out for offside. Just moments later, the Swedish striker made no mistake, finishing clinically after Tino Livramento’s cross had been nodded down by Murphy. Liverpool replied with Curtis Jones forcing Nick Pope into a save, but Newcastle were relentless, forcing Kelleher to make vital saves.
Harvey Elliott played in Federico Chiesa for a late goal, but Newcastle held on through 100 anxious minutes to secure a landmark victory. Liverpool, meanwhile, fell to their second consecutive defeat of the new campaign and remain without an EFL Cup title for an 11th season.
