Dan Burn and Alexander Isak stole the headlines by scoring Newcastle United’s first goals at Wembley since 2000.
But Eddie Howe got his game plan spot on against a Liverpool side who have dominated the Premier League this season.
Newcastle were physical, played on the front foot and dominated Liverpool in every area of the pitch. Howe trained set pieces for two weeks in the build-up to the final, and it was Burn’s towering header that broke the deadlock.
What Eddie Howe told Jamie Carragher at Anfield
Eddie Howe’s mind games for the final began weeks in advance when Newcastle faced Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League.
“Speaking to Eddie Howe at the end of the game, he said they’d been practicing set pieces for that game for two weeks.
“I’m a massive fan of Eddie Howe as a manager, and I was always thinking Liverpool should be ready for every corner. Whenever you’ve worked on something set-piece wise, you always do it on the first one – players aren’t clever enough to think to do it on the third or fourth.
“I’m not having a go at Liverpool, but Eddie Howe said to us at Anfield that he deliberately played differently to how he was going to play in the Carabao Cup to not throw their hand.
“That’s a masterclass in getting right for that game – he had those few weeks before the game to focus only on the game, that Liverpool didn’t have.”
Eddie Howe deserves a statue at St James’ Park
Immediately after the final, Howe was thanked by Alan Shearer, and he has etched his name into the club’s history books.
Howe was “obsessed” with winning a trophy at Newcastle, and he achieved it in style this weekend. Howe broke records by leading Newcastle to glory.
There have been calls for Howe to get a statue at St James’ Park, and frankly most Newcastle fans will agree that he is completely deserving of such an honour.
Howe is set to be awarded the freedom of Northumberland as a result of his trophy success at Newcastle. It is only the start of what many will hope is a long-term project under Howe.
