Anthony Gordon (R) of Newcastle is celebrated by teammate Bruno Guimaraes after defending during the EFL Cup semi-final 2nd leg match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC, in Newcastle, Britain, 05 February 2025. Image: EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN Liverpool are no strangers to the big occasion, with the Reds winning the Premier League in 2020, the FA Cup in 2022, the League Cup in both 2022 and 2024, and the Champions League in 2019, to name but a few of their recent successes.
For Newcastle, recent success has been few and far between. Last winners of the First Division back in 1927, the Magpies last won the FA Cup in 1955, while their last appearance in the FA Cup final came back in 1999.
The wait for major silverware has been long and painful, but could it be about to end? Is this the Toon Army’s time? Eddie Howe led the Magpies to the League Cup final back in 2023, meaning their appearance in the final in March is their second shot at a major trophy in the space of two years.
Last time out, they were denied the trophy by Manchester United at Wembley, with two goals in six minutes from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford guiding the side to a 2-0 win.
To have come so close to silverware and to have their dreams dashed like that would have hurt. However, the best coaches can turn pain into lessons, and that is exactly what Howe seems to have achieved with their current run to the final.
Newcastle’s route to the showpiece event has seen them dispense of Nottingham Forest, AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea and Brentford. On their way to the semi-finals, the Magpies had already beaten Premier League sides in three of the four rounds.
They then took to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal. The Magpies arrived as the underdogs, but soaked up the pressure in stunning style before leaving with a 2-0 win. The second-leg saw Newcastle once again tagged as the underdogs, and yet again they took a 2-0 win as they hammered Arsenal 4-0 on aggregate in a dominant display on the scoreboard.
While few would claim the Magpies got anywhere near actually dominating the Gunners on the field, they played their opponents perfectly.
The fact Newcastle have already beaten the sides currently sitting in second, third, fourth and 11th in the Premier League shows that they are fully deserving of their place in the final.
Howe’s continued employment with the side was questioned when the big money took over at St James’ Park. However, he has repaid the faith put in him. The Magpies made it into the 2023/24 Champions League, while they came to within a single win of securing the League Cup in 2023.
Of course, it is worth pointing to the fact Newcastle went out bottom of their Champions League group, while they were beaten by Manchester United in the EFL Cup final. However, they stayed competitive in arguably the toughest European group that year, battling against Borussia Dortmund, PSG and AC Milan.
The major worry for the Magpies will be that they have not beaten Liverpool since 2015. Since that win in the Premier League at St James’ Park, Liverpool have won 11 times, with the other five matches ending as draws.
Their last clash against the Reds ended in a pulsating 3-3 draw as Fabian Schar’s 90th minute goal ensured the points were shared.
That meeting saw both Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon get on the scoresheet, something the pair also managed in the first-leg of their semi-final against Arsenal. They will be vital if the Magpies are to deny Liverpool the trophy at Wembley in March, with their pace and trickery already proving too much for Arsenal mere days ago.
Further back, Newcastle’s central midfield of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali will be vital in shielding the defence and providing quick ball to the forward players. Howe may also look to adopt a five-man defence after it proved so effective in the semi-final second-leg against Arsenal.
With so much attacking talent set to play against them at Wembley, the Magpies will likely look to soak up pressure and deny the Reds space to work in.
If Howe is able to mastermind a win over Arne Slot and Liverpool, then it would rank as one of his greatest victories. The Reds are arguably the best side in Europe right now, but a final at Wembley can do strange things to teams, especially the favourites as Bets.co.za report Liverpool are.
If Newcastle are to win the EFL Cup, they will have capped one of the great cup runs by beating each of the sides sitting in the top-four spots in the Premier League at the time of their semi-final win over the Gunners.
Howe could become a legend at the club after their long and painful run without silverware. Some may turn their noses up at the League Cup, but any piece of silverware is something to be celebrated.
If Newcastle can stun Liverpool at Wembley, it will prove they are a genuine force in the English game as they look to end the dominance of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United when it comes to winning trophies.
A first major trophy for Newcastle this century may yet prove to be a turning point for this particular side. Currently sitting in sixth in the league, hopes of returning to the Champions League are very much alive.
With Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United all struggling, this could be the perfect chance for the Magpies to use a cup triumph to fuel the business end of their season.
If Newcastle were to beat Liverpool at Wembley and then finish in the top four in the league, it would arguably rank as their best season for decades. DM