What Newcastle United end did stuns Liverpool as Yasir Al-Rumayyan goes wild - 5 things

Newcastle United have ended a 70-year wait to win a major domestic trophy following a superb 2-1 win against holders Liverpool at Wembley.

Dan Burn put his boyhood club ahead with a thumping header just before half-time and Alexander Isak doubled his side's lead in the 52nd-minute with a smart finish from inside the box. Liverpool substitute Federico Chiesa pulled one back in stoppage time, following a VAR check, but Newcastle held on.

Here are five things we learned from the Carabao Cup final.

The underdogs become immortals

Newcastle United players looked to their right as they walked out of the tunnel before kick-off and saw a huge tifo unfurled by Wor Flags of an open book with a fountain pen. The message was clear from the supporters' group: 'Write your name in the history books'. That's what they did.

Rather than being weighed down by the past, these players embraced the chance to become legends. They may have walked into Wembley as underdogs, but they left as immortals.

In fact, as the break approached, all Newcastle were missing was a goal following a brilliant impressive first-half performance - but it arrived right before half-time when Kieran Trippier's corner was met by a thumping header from Dan Burn which left Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher with no chance. Cue black-and-white bedlam as Burn was mobbed by his team-mates and Geordies were literally left with their hands on their head in the stands. Did it really happen? You bet you.

How fitting that it was Burn, the man of the match, who scored a goal that will be talked about for a generation. The Blyth man was at Wembley as a fan when Newcastle last scored at the stadium nearly a quarter of a century ago. This goal gave Newcastle the belief to go and win the cup.

Alexander Isak hurts Liverpool again

There is a reason why Liverpool boss Arne Slot expected 'something different' from Newcastle on Sunday compared to when the sides met at Anfield just a couple of weeks ago. The Magpies are simply a different proposition when Alexander Isak is leading the line.

Regardless of how many touches Isak does or does not have, or how involved he is in the game, Newcastle were always going to have a chance with the Sweden star. After all, this is one of the few players on the planet who can make Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk look human. "I wouldn't say I fear anyone," Isak bullishly declared ahead of the final. Those were not empty words.

In fact, having had a quiet game by his standards up to that point, it was Isak who scored Newcastle's crucial second goal in the 52nd minute after latching onto Jacob Murphy's knockdown and hooking the ball past Kelleher right in front of the sea of black and white behind the goal. If they did not believe their side were on course to end an eternal wait for silverware, they certainly did after that strike.

Geordies set defiant tone

You wondered what Geordies had left in reserve after taking over Covent Garden 24 hours earlier. Quite a lot as it goes. That was clear long before this game kicked off.

Newcastle players emerged for the warm-ups to a deafening roar while their Liverpool counterparts were roundly booed by Geordies. Even Liverpool's stadium announcer did not escape Newcastle fans' wrath when it was his turn to introduce the teams.

Yet there was one particularly striking moment before kick-off when Liverpool fans sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Rather than just watching on, Newcastle fans defiantly booed, chanted 'Newcastle! Newcastle! Newcastle!' and swirled their black and white scarves. They never let up from that moment and helped push Newcastle over the line. Just as Eddie Howe had asked.

Joelinton embodies grit as Newcastle win midfield battle

You wondered whether Eddie Howe might have been tempted to move Joelinton out to the left, before Trent Alexander-Arnold's injury, but the Newcastle boss sent out a quiet statement of sorts by starting an out and out winger in Harvey Barnes against Liverpool. Joelinton, as a result, lined up alongside Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park - and rightly so.

For all the absences Newcastle had elsewhere in the team - Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon missed Sunday's showpiece - the Magpies had a midfield capable of going toe-to-toe with any side around. Why break that up?

Bruno rightly predicted that the midfield was 'going to be the difference in the game'. "The midfield is the heart of the team...if you have a good midfield, you can fight for everything," the captain said.

It was the midfield who could set the tone and that was particularly important in a game like this. Newcastle simply could not afford to find themselves 2-0 down after 39 minutes like their last Wembley visit and the black-and-whites were not about to show the cup holders and league leaders undue respect.

Having been urged to 'get into them' by Wor Flags, that's just what Newcastle did. In fact, Joelinton caught a stunned Dominik Szoboszlai in the face off the ball just seconds after the game got under way.

Liverpool, in contrast, who were fresh from a painful Champions League defeat, looked a little ruffled. Andy Robertson shanked a clearance out of play in the opening stages while the usually cool Ryan Gravenberch put the ball out for a throw-in after Nick Pope took a quick throw and attempted to send Harvey Barnes galloping down the left.

Newcastle grew in confidence and it was Joelinton who embodied this side's grit. At one point, the tireless Brazil international let out a primal scream after winning a free-kick after chasing back to stop Jarell Quansah dribbling down the right. That's the intensity Newcastle played with.

Newcastle dig in and stop Mohamed Salah

Monday night's win against West Ham felt significant. Not only because Newcastle picked up three points - but, also, because the Magpies kept a rare clean sheet at the London Stadium.

Shutting teams out is what this side do at their very best and it was not so long ago that Newcastle kept back-to-back shutouts against Arsenal in the semi-finals and limited the Gunners to just six shots on target. No wonder Eddie Howe remarked that his side had the 'mentality to defend our goal to the highest level' after those wins.

Newcastle certainly needed that mindset once again on Sunday, particularly when facing Mohamed Salah, who had a hand in 18 goals in his previous 16 appearances against the Magpies. Yet it was a credit to how Newcastle defended that Salah barely had a sniff on Sunday.

Newcastle stood tall from the off. There were just two minutes on the clock when Luis Diaz ran at Kieran Trippier down Newcastle's right and the wily veteran expertly won the duel. A few minutes later, it was Dan Burn's turn to hold Salah off and shepherd the ball out of play to huge cheers from Newcastle fans behind the goal. On the rare occasion Dominik Szoboszlai put a teasing cross into the box, Fabian Schar was there to hook clear.

Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, looked a little stumped and failed to have a shot on target in the first half. In fact, Newcastle were 2-0 up by the time Liverpool finally tested Nick Pope, who punched Curtis Jones' effort over the bar. Federico Chiesa managed to pull one back for Liverpool deep in stoppage time, but Newcastle held on. Cue wild scenes at full-time as even chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan lifted the cup into the air.

Newcastle United Carabao Cup WINNERS 2024/25

At last, Newcastle have their hands on silverware!

After an agonising 56-year wait, the Magpies' amazing army of fans can celebrate watching their side lift a trophy after their Carabao Cup final win. And to celebrate, the Newcastle Chronicle have produced this souvenir special, marking the Wembley triumph.

It is packed full of reaction, analysis and quotes as well as amazing pictures from the day, and a centre-spread poster.

It is the perfect souvenir of an historic day for Newcastle.

Buy now and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in the North East from March 20, 2025.