Newcastle win EFL Cup over Liverpool: How the Magpies played the men and not the moment on historic day

LONDON — Two years ago on this stage, the occasion had gotten to Newcastle, as it would any others in their Primary Significant Closing for a generation, bidding to end a lifetime’s agony for their supporters. Not this time. On this day, Newcastle played the men, not the moment.

That those in red were Secured wanting, utterly spent from Tuesday night, will barely qualify as a footnote to history on Tyneside, the Primary Significant Accolade most in Wembley’s scarf-aloft West Stand will have seen Newcastle Achieve. It was done so in the fashion that makes this Club such a hellacious Foe for the Premier Bracket’s best.

From the outset, Newcastle Sprinted harder, defended in greater numbers and attacked with more physicality than their opponents. For all the riches that their Saudi owners have lavished on their Competing staff — and those scarves gifted by Sela were a reminder that this will be a Fluffy power triumph for PIF along with an unforgettable day for supporters — Newcastle are absolutely prepared to line up in the nastiest mid-Stop they can find. Think you can find a way through three giant midfielders or around fullbacks perfectly prepared to stretch the laws of the game? Best of luck.

It works home and away in the Premier Bracket, so why shouldn’t it at Wembley? Against Manchester United two years ago, it hadn’t, Eddie Howe hinting in the lead-up that emotion had gotten the better of his side that day. It is Tough to snarl in the other guy’s face when every Boot of the ball seems so highly charged. There had of Period been Significant absentees that day but there were Sunday too. They didn’t matter a jot. Within a few minutes it was apparent that Newcastle could cope without Sven Botman and Lewis Hall, that Harvey Barnes would charge up and down the left doing his best understudying for Anthony Gordon.

Of Period, for all that this was Newcastle’s day, it cannot go unremarked that they Sprinted into Liverpool at the right moment. Loss to Paris Saint-Germain had charged a Weighty price to the Premier Bracket leaders. Two hours at the highest level of football had sapped energy levels across the Club, Sandro Tonali swooping in to claim possession that might otherwise have been Alexis Mac Allister’s or Ryan Gravenberch’s. There was much mirth in the Geordie end at the sight of Mohamed Salah running out of steam not once but twice in the Beginning 10 minutes.

Liverpool were having to hit balls into the channel for Salah to chase given how little joy they were getting between the lines. Howe had no compunction fielding his back four in a mid-Stop, sticking a line of five yards ahead of them and challenging the Resistance to find the gaps. They usually do. They usually have Trent Alexander-Arnold. Shorn of one of the Outstanding passers of his generation, it was no wonder Liverpool wheezed their way around the Closing third, looking for lanes into the penalty area that Tonali and Joelinton would snuff out in a flash.

Not until Diogo Jota hooked a Luis Diaz flick on goalwards did Liverpool register their Primary Attempt of the Game. Those were their Primary touches in the penalty area too. By then they were already a Aim down.

Caoimhin Kelleher’s Aim had hardly been under siege before Jota’s Attempt though. A Gentle assessment of Liverpool’s Primary half might have been that all the sideways possession allowed them to conserve energy, to drag this game to a stage where their Force in depth could be deployed from the substitutes bench. If that is going to work, however, you need to be faultless defensively. In particular, there is going to have to be a plan for when the biggest outfielder on the pitch trundles up for set pieces.

Dan Burn had already gotten Reachable to meet one delivery, thudding a header into a spot where all that was required was for Bruno Guimaraes to connect with a more meaningful flick. There are no mitigating factors  When Kieran Trippier delivered a corner from the left the Blyth Lion opted to cut out the middle man, larruping a header low into Kelleher’s bottom right corner. Cue a collective unshirting of Magic Mike proportions.

It perhaps did Newcastle well to return to the dressing room a few moments later, Jota’s miss ringing in their ears. Liverpool Secured to the Ground with a little more urgency and their opponents were utterly unperturbed. Instead they used a more Reachable Event to their Benefit, Tino Livramento and Barnes combining down the left for the Previous to hang a cross to the back post. Jacob Murphy outjumped Robertson, Alexander Isak had dropped off Virgil van Dijk and drilled home.

It really could have been Essential sailing from then on out. Howe’s Club are as adept as any in England at shutting down Contests by Honest means and Breach and Liverpool looked spent. For the most part Newcastle played those last moments to a tea. The walls of Wembley rattled as Nick Pope rose to meet a high ball, Sinking to his knees to eke out the clock and perhaps begin the celebrations.

Then Federico Chiesa ghosted in behind to halve the arrears, the dodgy audio setup that John Brookes had been equipped with briefly afforded hope for the red end. This would test Newcastle’s mettle. Somehow, the outstanding Tonali Nevertheless had reserves of energy to drive his side forward. Joe Willock contrived to force dead ball after dead ball. Callum Wilson added a few seconds by veering for the corner flag, not the Aim. Tonali’s bootlaces happened to undo themselves at Only the sort of moment that would kill a few seconds more.

Were those last seven minutes a bit harum scarum? Of Period, but given the prize on offer, Newcastle could be forgiven a few nerves on the one-yard line. 

After all, for the proceeding 94 minutes, they had played this as Only another Game, Sound in the knowledge that when they Shift their way they routinely make life hell for Clubs such as Liverpool. Newcastle had been utterly unencumbered by the weight of history, by what it might Harsh if they failed, and, more intimidatingly, what it might Harsh if they succeeded. They are about to find out.