At a glance
- Newcastle star reminisces about Wembley glory
- “It felt like winning the World Cup”
- The Magpies have faced a setback
On March 16th, 2025, Newcastle United beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final to lift their first major domestic trophy since the 1950s. Twelve months later, heroic defender Dan Burn told FourFourTwo the win meant more to the Toon than it did to Kop.
Burn opened the scoring with a powerful header, as the Magpies went on to win 2-1. The Reds had lifted the trophy the year before and again in 2022. Eddie Howe’s men came into the game after losing the Carabao Cup final in 2023 to Manchester United.
Newcastle’s victory was the first time they had beaten Liverpool in 18 attempts, with the previous victory coming in 2015. The defender believes the hunger from his teammates and the Toon Army made that happen.
Reflecting on Wembley glory
Newcastle hadn’t made many trips to Wembley since the 1950s. In fact, the 2025 final was their fourth visit to Wembley since winning the FA Cup in 1955. Liverpool, by contrast, have travelled to Wembley six times since the Covid pandemic.
Burn felt that fortune would favour those in Black and White when he gazed upon the travelling Newcastle supporters:
“You looked over at the Liverpool end during the warm-ups, and it was pretty much empty.”
The Geordie defender continued.
“The Newcastle end was full about an hour and a half before kick-off – I was like, ‘F**king hell, this is crazy”
Newcastle produced one of their best displays of the season that day, and they took the lead just before half-time as a corner found the head of Burn, who sent one side of Wembley wild.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that, and I’ll probably never feel like that again. It was just a crazy time.”
Newcastle’s limited success in the late 1900s and early 2000s was a stark contrast to Liverpool’s. Burn believes this was important on the day:
“There’s no way that final meant as much to their players and fans as it did to us. Winning the League Cup that day was like winning the World Cup.”
Alexander Isak doubled Newcastle’s lead in the second half. Federico Chiesa pulled one back in stoppage time, causing anxiety among those in the stadium. But captain Bruno Guimaraes eventually lifted the trophy above his head, after his side ended their long wait for silverware.
Twelve months on
Burn claims that “There isn’t a weight on your shoulders” now that they have lifted a major trophy and that the team can“go for it”; however, the momentum many Newcastle supporters may have expected hasn’t materialised.
Isak, who scored in the final, joined Liverpool in a controversial transfer. This has caused a lot of issues for the Magpies, both on and off the pitch.
His replacements, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, have both failed to make a real impact on the pitch as of yet, while the team has struggled in general.
Howe’s side currently sits 12th in the Premier League, having been knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by Manchester City. Their last hope of silverware this season comes via the Champions League, ahead of their Round of 16 second-leg encounter with Barcelona tomorrow (March 18th).
While Newcastle fans won’t demand silverware every year from Howe, they will have hoped for a better, more consistent season than this.
Isak’s £125m transfer was pushed through by the player, and this could set a toxic culture at the club. Currently, multiple key players, such as Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento, and Bruno Guimaraes, have been linked to moves away from the club.
In the interview, Burn said, “That will, hopefully, be us one day, when we’re used to winning trophies”, when talking about Liverpool’s success.
With the current climate at Newcastle, supporters will be hoping Howe can turn results around as they head towards the climax of the season, and he is able to keep their best players as they dream of more special days at Wembley.
