Isak strike allows Toon Army to savour taste of glory at last

The black-and-white-clad hordes had turned up wondering if it would finally be the day.

- David Hytner

The black-and-white-clad hordes had turned up wondering if it would finally be the day. There was optimism and yet massive apprehension, too. The Newcastle United support had lived on the ends of their nerves since advancing to this Carabao Cup final. When you last won a domestic trophy in 1955 - the FA Cup victory against Manchester City, the goals from Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell and George Hannah going down in folklore - it was going to be this way.

But it was the day, one when new legends were born. Above all, it was a Newcastle party. Yes, there was tension at the end, of course there was when the board went up to show eight additional minutes and Federico Chiesa, on as a Liverpool substitute, made it 2-1, the goal given after a review showed he was onside.

And yet once Alexander Isak had scored for 2-0 with a clinical half-volley early in the second half, the result never truly felt in doubt. Newcastle refused to allow it to become yet another hard-luck story. They drove this triumph through their collective will. They were in control throughout.

Where to start? There was Dan Burn, who scored the first goal before the interval with a thundering epic of a header and refused to concede an inch in defence. All this in the week of his first England callup. There was Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton in midfield. There was Isak. And then there was Eddie Howe.

When the manager took over in November 2021, Newcastle were in the Premier League's relegation zone. He began by restoring stability, self-respect, and then led them up the division and into the Champions League.