Eddie Howe described Newcastle United's Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool as a day the club “will never forget” after ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy. Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak secured a deserved win at Wembley, with Federico Chiesa scoring a late consolation for Liverpool. The triumph also earns Newcastle a spot in next season's Uefa Conference League.
Howe became the first English manager to win a major trophy in England since Harry Redknapp’s FA Cup success with Portsmouth in 2008. “I feel amazing, it is an incredible day,” Howe said. “I was so, so pleased with our performance, it was not a lucky win, thoroughly deserved.” He added: “With such a long wait for a trophy, this will be a day that I’m sure everyone will never forget.”
The Newcastle manager praised his side's display against a Liverpool team that had dominated the Premier League all season. “We played a brilliant opponent, they’ve been the best team in the Premier League all season by quite a long way. And for me, we were the better team.”
Howe hopes the victory can be a springboard for further success. “Hopefully with one, it can become more. There’s no guarantee, but it proves we can do it,” he said. “Now the challenge for us is to try and get there more often.” He also highlighted the contributions of Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton, calling them “iconic players who will go down as legends of the football club.”
Dan Burn, who scored the opener from a corner just days after receiving his first England call-up, joked: “I’ve had worse weeks. I don’t want to go to sleep because I feel like I am dreaming.” Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admitted his side were outplayed, particularly in aerial duels, and credited Burn’s powerful header: “I’ve never seen in my life a player from that far away heading a ball with so much force into the far corner.”
