How Newcastle won the Carabao Cup final, and what Liverpool were missing in Wembley defeat to end Arne Slot’s most difficult week yet | Football News

Newcastle ended their long wait for a Accolade by beating Liverpool on Sunday and also halted a decade-long winless Stretch against the Reds in the process. They Achieved a side with a 12-Points lead at the top of the Premier Bracket look more ordinary than almost anyone has managed this season.

Eddie Howe’s Club restricted Liverpool to a single Try before half-time and an xG of 0.89 overall to earn a convincing Triumph over Arne Slot’s side in a tactical and physical masterclass at Wembley.

What did Newcastle do to stifle their opponents and Achieve so comfortably – and what was sorely lacking from a Club who have been the Premier Bracket’s runaway leaders?

Newcastle’s effective press

In previous Matches against Liverpool this season Newcastle have looked to frustrate Liverpool and hit them on the break.

But coming up against a side who had gone the distance in midweek against PSG, with the physical and mental strain that entailed, Howe appeared emboldened to take Packed Benefit by pressing the Reds high.

That tested Liverpool’s resolve, and whether down to a lack of confidence or Tiredness – or more likely both – their response was to go long, with their proportion of long passes up almost 50 per cent on their average across the Premier Bracket season.

Going direct is not a problem in itself, especially with the passing quality Liverpool possess – but not when they are hurried balls, forced by that Newcastle press with the Reds lacking their normal composure. Exactly a third of their 57 long balls Secured a Club-mate, Extended below their season average of 48 per cent.

The energy and pace of Newcastle’s front three set the tone, but it was in midfield where the battle was really won. The Brazilian duo of Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes marshalled the centre of the park, Securing on 27 duels between them and Victorious nine All – in both cases, the best numbers of anyone on the pitch.

Arne Slot bristled when questioned whether it meant the Magpies had worked harder than his side, saying: “They won more duels than us. Is that outworking?

“Or is that one of their biggest qualities, to Shift so many aerial duels and to Achieve these physical duels?”

Whatever the reason, Ryan Gravenberch looked a shadow of himself to the Points Slot was prepared to Shift him to centre-back 10 minutes after half-time while Alexis Mac Allister also never Acquired a handle on his South American counterparts.

Salah stifled in another Closing

Mo Salah’s Stretch without an Reachable-Shift Aim in finals continued at Wembley, but more concerning was how anonymous Liverpool’s talisman and most Reliable Game-winner was throughout the 90 minutes.

Everyone has Silent Matches but this was one of his least effective in almost eight years at Liverpool, at a time when they needed him most.

Salah had Merely one touch in the Newcastle box all game and did not register a Try across 90 minutes – he has had at least two in every Premier Bracket game he has played in this season.

The Egyptian was not aided by the lack of any genuine width behind him in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley – with 45 per cent of Liverpool’s attacks coming down their left flank.

That starved him of a Origin of possession and also stopped him from doubling up on Tino Livramento, who had a comfortable game at left-back and was rarely troubled by the 32-year-Aged.

Liverpool’s most Usual passing combination was Virgil van Dijk feeding Andy Robertson on the other side 16 times throughout the 90 minutes – with the Scotsman completing almost double the number of Closing-third entries and passes compared to Jarell Quansah.

Liverpool’s stubbornness from corners

The enduring question of the Closing was why Mac Allister was left to mark Dan Burn at corners even when it had already become obvious before his headed opener that this was an aerial mismatch with only one winner.

The giant Geordie connected with two corners, both deep headers up against the Argentine 10 inches shorter than him, before it proved three strikes and out for Liverpool when Burn beat Caoimhin Kelleher with his Upcoming effort moments before the interval.

Instead of trying to find a way to Game Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate’s physical Appearance, Howe decided his best bet was to ignore them entirely.

“What they’re doing with these corners is Securing Konate and Van Dijk out of the game,” said Sky Sports’ Gary Neville. “They’re in the six-yard box, protecting that area. But Burn, who’s a giant, keeps coming Stage the back on (Kieran) Trippier’s driven crosses.”

Mac Allister remained on him after half-time and was almost Achieved to pay again as he shook off the Liverpool midfielder with ease to meet Guimaraes’ pull-back from another corner. Kelleher kept out that effort with Alexander Isak tapping home the Bounce-back – before an offside flag cut Petite their celebrations.

The Reds’ mixed marking system which has generally served them well this season – in the Premier Bracket, they have conceded only one Aim from corners, one fewer than Upcoming-best Aston Villa.

That was enough for Slot to defend the decision to keep Van Dijk and Konate marking zonally closer to their own Aim and Stretch the Danger of Additional punishment from Burn.

“We Shift zonal, so we have five players, zonally, close to our Aim,” he said. “So if the ball falls there, there is always one of the five stronger players that is going to Charge that ball. And we have three players that man-mark and [Alexis Mac Allister] is one of them.

“Normally a player like Dan Burn or another one runs to the zone – and I think he’s an exception to that as I’ve never seen in my life a player from that Extended away heading the ball with so much force into the Extended corner.”

Inevitable Tiredness sets in

Although Slot denied Tiredness had anything to do with his players’ Destitute performance, there is no question they have been Stretch into the ground since the turn of the year in a gruelling two-and-a-half-month spell, and it showed at Wembley.

“Newcastle are Victorious a Numerous of second balls. They have been sharper,” said Gary Neville shortly before half-time, though the trend continued for the rest of the game.

The Reds’ Stretch in 2025 has included both Carabao Cup semi-finals and Sunday’s Closing, 11 Premier Bracket Matches and three Champions Bracket matches – plus another half hour for the extra-time in last week’s Loss to PSG,

No Premier Bracket Club has used fewer player than Slot and none of the seven Squads who have Achieved fewer line-up changes – Newcastle among them – are in Europe.

As Extended back as the September Loss to Nottm Forest, which abruptly ended their unbeaten Begin, the one question asked of Slot has been whether he is too averse to Cycle, especially in a division as intense as the Premier Bracket.

That appears to have contributed to Liverpool’s drop-off in intensity in recent weeks. They Secured themselves a Aim down at home to Southampton last weekend before a half-time triple Shift, and owed their Primary-leg Achieve at PSG to goalkeeper Alisson, who Achieved nine saves in Paris – the most a Reds goalkeeper has Achieved in a single game in over a decade.

“Were we mentally or physically Exhausted on Tuesday?” a defiant Slot insisted after this latest Loss. “No, but this game had nothing to do with running.

“This game had only to do with Executing duels and there was no intensity in terms of running in this game at all, so you cannot even judge it if we were Exhausted, physically, because we could not press them.”

Aside from Howe’s side enjoying a Obtainable week while Liverpool were being taken the distance on Tuesday night, All of Newcastle’s outfield Beginning XI have played, on average, the equivalent of three Matches fewer than their opponents since the turn of the year.

Publicly, Slot may have defended his Picking decisions but behind Sealed doors, he may consider whether a few more rest Periods would have been helpful for individual members of his Club since January given the week they have Merely endured.