Newcastle United famously ended a long, long wait for silverware on Sunday. Eddie Howe’s side outplayed, outbattled and surprisingly outclassed Liverpool for a 2-1 win at Wembley in the Carabao Cup Final. In fact, that scoreline did them little justice.
Goals from Dan Burn, a new England call-up, and star man Alexander Isak were enough in the end although there were some nervous moments late on after Chiesa’s goal was given after a VAR review. Now that the dust has settled, what did we learn from the game?
A Tale of Two Very Different Teams
Before the match, it was always expected that this final would be a clash of two cultures. It was, but the clear winners were not the side we originally thought with Newcastle doing best in all areas.
Liverpool fans may feel their side didn’t show up, but were they allowed? Newcastle’s desire was obvious, but aside from some rare flat moments such as those at Man City in a 4-0 defeat, they have always shown quality against the best teams in the league.
Even in this competition alone, Newcastle have taken care of Nottingham Forest away (third in the Premier League), Chelsea (4th), Arsenal (2nd) who were beaten 4-0 on aggregate and now the league leaders to lift the cup. They didn’t do it the easy way.
The signs should always have been there for Liverpool, but they didn’t heed them. They were lacklustre and didn’t match Newcastle’s intensity. Had they done so they may have had more success, but it wasn’t for a lack of skill and endeavour that Newcastle took care of the champions elect.
The quality shown by Tonali, Bruno, Isak and co is there for all to see yet it is the bruising shifts of people like Joelinton that gets more headlines. The balance was there, but it was missing from Liverpool.
Did Slot Have a False Sense of Security?
Arne Slot made a lightning start to life as Liverpool manager. At one point, his team was so dominant that it seemed the quadruple was a very real possibility. We have pointed out before though that he has shown a very different attitude before and after games, evident in fact against Newcastle in December.
Once more at Wembley, he was all smiles beforehand but frankly disingenuous afterwards. Slot’s comments when interviewed told a tale of Newcastle being better “through the air” and being more aggressive than his side.
That would appear to attempt to belittle how Newcastle achieved the win. They were better through the air, but they were also better on the deck. In fact, they were better everywhere, and the Liverpool boss could perhaps have done with showing a little more humility.
Yet again, Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall got it right tactically but there was also no adaptability shown by Liverpool. Newcastle took Virgil van Dijk out of the game by keeping Dan Burn deep and aiming for him (successfully) from set pieces, while Slot continued to do nothing about it.
Where Do They Go from Here?
Well, in Newcastle’s case we’ve already pointed out their excellent record against the best sides in the country. That basically means they have the quality already, but not the squad size to do it for 50 games.
Given that squad size, a top 4 finish which is possible and a cup which is guaranteed alongside European qualification, would be a great season.
They have essentially been saving up in their PSR piggie bank though, so more signings will come this summer. Take what Newcastle achieve this season and increase it, and you can see what a danger they may be next term.
As for Liverpool, their tale isn’t as different as you might think. They set a frightening pace at the start of the season. It still looks like being enough to win them the league, but they have dropped off now and have only that trophy to fight for.
Lessons for both teams then. In Newcastle’s case it’s about sheer squad size, while for Liverpool one could argue that it’s more about smarter rotation and keeping fresh. It’s no good topping the Champions League after 8 games, only to lose immediately in the knockout stages.