Slot denied it but Liverpool can't after being bullied and battered in final

Arne Slot denied it but Liverpool now can't after being bullied and battered in Carabao Cup final

Liverpool match verdict and report from the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley

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Arne Slot had denied it and Virgil van Dijk bristled at the mere suggestion. But with Champions League heartache in the rearview and the likelihood of a Premier League triumph still to come, this, it seems, simply mattered more to Newcastle United.

It would be hugely unfair to be too critical of the overall efforts in a campaign that sees Liverpool now at the March international break with a 12-point advantage over Arsenal at the summit, but Slot must use these past few days, in whatever way he can, as an exercise in learning.

It's been the worst week of the Dutchman's short reign so far on Merseyside but the damage, however much it will hurt for the coming week or so, remains largely cosmetic. A second league title in five years is still the overriding aim and while it is the only peak left to scale now, it is the one with the most incredible view. Sixteen points from an available 27 will seal it.

The major question for the Magpies was how they would react to the 70-year domestic trophy drought that no doubt hung heavy the build-up in the North East. Would they be engulfed by history? Or could they be emboldened by it?

After a nervous 35 minutes or so against a team who remain the country's best this season, Newcastle found their answer and began to expose the shortcomings of an exhausted Liverpool for whom the international break cannot come fast enough.

One suspects there may have already been some private phone calls to national FAs in the hope that a creaking collection of players are used only sparingly by their countries over the next fortnight. A change may very well be as good as a rest, but some quality downtime away from the field would be no bad thing for more than a few on show here.

It is now onto Slot and key lieutenants like captain Van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the leaders in this squad, to steady the ship on the other side of the break, particularly as it is a re-energised Everton heading across Stanley Park for the Merseyside derby. How they would love to play spoilsports in some small form.

By then, what was an imposing 15-point advantage heading into the weekend might have been whittled down to nine and the naysayers and rivals will be desperate for signs of the wheels starting to loosen ever so slightly. It cannot be allowed to happen, that is Slot's next challenge.

For the game itself, Newcastle were simply too strong and too determined to allow their opponents off the hook. It was a threadbare sort of performance that deserved little and the sight of Eddie Howe's men desperately keeping it in the corners in the eighth minute of stoppage time actually flattered a Reds team whose battery had long since gone flat. Bereft of ideas and running on empty, these were not conditions conducive to winning a cup final against a club looking to become legends in their hometown.

Newcastle are a powerful unit and the physicality of players like Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and goalscorer Dan Burn was too much for too many in Liverpool red. Slot's side were bullied, battered and bruised; second best on the day and with few complaints to go with it.

An attritional affair finally came to life on the cusp of half time when Burn met Kieran Trippier's drilled corner to head past Caoimhin Kelleher and give the Magpies the lead. It was foolish in the extreme from the Reds to allow the diminutive Alexis Mac Allister to mark the Newcastle man mountain and he took full advantage.

Liverpool responded instantly with their best chance of the half but Diogo Jota could only awkwardly meet Luis Diaz's knock-down having spent the previous 45 minutes feeding off scraps and being embroiled in wrestling matches with the opposition defenders. The Portugal international has not looked fully fit for quite some time and the upper body issue he suffered way back against Chelsea in October has hugely diluted his contribution this season. He was hooked before the hour mark for Darwin Nunez.

Nunez was similarly ineffective and the huge issue over the lack of an elite No.9 was brought into sharper focus by the presence of Alexander Isak down the other end. That has to be the first port of call now when the transfer window opens this summer.

Before that, the Reds had looked exactly like what they were: a side who had been beaten on penalties after 120 minutes by one of the favourites for the Champions League in Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. The lack of invention in the final third was indicative of a team limping towards the break.

After another unconvincing piece of defending at a second-half corner saw Isak's tap-in ruled out for offside by Bruno Guimaraes, Liverpool did not get a chance to use their reprieve, as the striker finished superbly from Jacob Murphy's knock-down moments later to give Howe's men a two-goal cushion.

Slot sent on Curtis Jones with Nunez as Ibrahima Konate and Jota made way and Ryan Gravenberch dropped into centre-back alongside Van Dijk. The subs briefly saw the holders flicker into life but it was Newcastle who still carried the most threat with Kelleher having to be alert to deny Isak a second for 3-0.

The introduction of Harvey Elliott allowed the Reds to play some more precision passes into dangerous areas but after being dispossessed by Fabian Schar as he tried to shoot, Jones then smashed over the bar after another neat, line-breaking ball.

It was Elliott's pass to fellow sub Federico Chiesa that resulted in the Italian sliding past Nick Pope to reduce the deficit late on after a lengthy check for offside, but restoring parity would have been undeserved.

Newcastle, with history acting as the gust for their sails, just wanted this more than a club who have won it a record 10 times and most recently as 13 months ago. This was their day, Liverpool's will come later. But first, a full recharge is in order.

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