# 2025 EFL Cup final
The 2025 [EFL Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-cup) final was the concluding match of the 2024–25 Carabao Cup, played at [Wembley Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/wembley-stadium) in London on Sunday, 16 March 2025, in which Newcastle United beat Liverpool 2–1 to win the English League Cup for the first time in the club's history.[1](https://www.efl.com/news/2025/march/16/newcastle-united-beat-liverpool-to-lift-carabao-cup/) [Dan Burn](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-burn) headed Newcastle in front on 45 minutes and Alexander Isak added a second on 52, before Federico Chiesa's stoppage-time goal gave Liverpool a consolation.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) The victory ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy, Newcastle's previous one being the 1955 FA Cup, and a 56-year wait for any major trophy, the last being the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Result | Liverpool 1–2 Newcastle United; Burn 45', Isak 52', Chiesa (stoppage time)[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) |
| Date and venue | Sunday, 16 March 2025, Wembley Stadium; attendance 88,513[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) |
| Significance for Newcastle | First League Cup title, first domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup, first major trophy since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) |
| Managers | Eddie Howe (Newcastle), his second League Cup final in three seasons; Arne Slot (Liverpool), the defending champions[4](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/historico-isak-en-wembley-n/) |
| Referee | John Brooks[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y0wkzg4wxo) |
| Road to the final | Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Arsenal over two semi-final legs, and Liverpool, finishing the competition unbeaten[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) |
| Reward | The Carabao Cup and a place in the UEFA Conference League[6](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/16/relentless-newcastle-can-fashion-new-identity-in-their-moment-of-history) |
## Background
Newcastle and Liverpool met in a major final for the first time in 51 years, since the 1974 [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) final at Wembley, which Liverpool won.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/newcastle-liverpool-kevin-keegan-wembley-joelinton-b2714227.html) Newcastle arrived with the longer drought: the club had not won a major domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup, and Wembley had delivered nine successive defeats since that victory.[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y0wkzg4wxo) Their most recent final appearance had been the 2023 Carabao Cup final, lost 2–0 to Manchester United.[8](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/arabia-se-sale-con-la-suya-n/)
Liverpool entered as defending League Cup champions and Premier League leaders, but the final came at a difficult moment. Days earlier, Paris Saint-Germain had eliminated them from the Champions League on penalties at Anfield.[9](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-16/el-newcastle-gana-por-primera-vez-la-copa-de-la-liga-de-inglaterra.html) Manager Arne Slot made two changes from the side that faced PSG, with [Caoimhín Kelleher](https://www.edgepedia.org/caoimhin-kelleher) starting in goal and [Jarell Quansah](https://www.edgepedia.org/jarell-quansah) at right-back for the injured [Trent Alexander-Arnold](https://www.edgepedia.org/trent-alexander-arnold).[10](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/liverpool-beaten-wembley-newcastle-carabao-cup-final)
Support for Newcastle filled the stadium. Club partner Sela donated 32,000 scarves, and the west end of Wembley became a sea of black and white.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2)
## The match
**First half.** Newcastle made the early running, with [Harvey Barnes](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvey-barnes) and [Jacob Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacob-murphy) creating the first openings and [Sandro Tonali](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandro-tonali) shooting just wide.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) Right on 45 minutes, a Kieran Trippier corner found Burn arriving from deep about 12 yards out, and the Blyth-raised defender powered a header low into the bottom left-hand corner.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) It was Newcastle's first goal in a Wembley cup final since Alan Gowling scored in the 1976 League Cup final.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) Diogo Jota sliced a volley wide in stoppage time as Liverpool's best first-half response.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2)
**Second half.** Isak had a close-range goal ruled out for offside in the 50th minute, with [Bruno Guimarães](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-guimaraes) in an offside position, but scored two minutes later: [Tino Livramento](https://www.edgepedia.org/tino-livramento)'s deep cross was headed down by Murphy and the striker swept a first-time finish into the net.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) It was his 58th goal for the club, scored on his 100th appearance.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) • [3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory)
Liverpool responded with urgency, and Curtis Jones forced Nick Pope into a strong save; Isak's volley from six yards was kept out by Kelleher at the other end.[10](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/liverpool-beaten-wembley-newcastle-carabao-cup-final) Newcastle pressed and harried through the closing stages, and Chiesa's low finish in added time, awarded after a VAR review for offside, reduced the deficit too late.[2](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2) • [10](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/liverpool-beaten-wembley-newcastle-carabao-cup-final) Burn was named man of the match.[8](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/arabia-se-sale-con-la-suya-n/)
## Records and statistics
The final was watched by 88,513 spectators, the second-highest crowd for a Newcastle United League Cup match, behind the roughly 100,000 at the 1976 final.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) It came 70 years and 25,516 days after Newcastle's previous domestic trophy.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory)
Newcastle went through the 2024–25 Carabao Cup without losing a match, the competition's only unbeaten side, beating each of the Premier League's top four along the way: Nottingham Forest in round two, Chelsea in round four, Arsenal at the semi-final stage, and Liverpool in the final.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) The final was also Newcastle's 50th win over Liverpool and their first victory in the fixture since 6 December 2015, ending a run of 17 games without one.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory)
[Eddie Howe](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-howe) joined Andy Cunningham (1932), Stan Seymour (1951 and 1952), and Doug Livingstone (1955) as Newcastle's Wembley cup-winning managers.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) Burn and Isak joined the club's list of Wembley cup-final goalscorers alongside names including [Jackie Milburn](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-milburn), George Robledo, and Alan Gowling.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory)
## Aftermath
The win kept Newcastle's 100% record in London during 2025 alive, following earlier wins at Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and West Ham.[3](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory) For Liverpool, the defeat was the second in a week, though the club went on to win the 2024–25 Premier League title, its 20th.[4](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/historico-isak-en-wembley-n/)
## References
1. [Newcastle United beat Liverpool to lift Carabao Cup in emotional Final, The English Football League](https://www.efl.com/news/2025/march/16/newcastle-united-beat-liverpool-to-lift-carabao-cup/)
2. [Liverpool 1 Newcastle United 2, Newcastle United official match report](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/liverpool-1-newcastle-united-2)
3. [The statistics around our Carabao Cup victory, Newcastle United](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/the-statistics-around-our-carabao-cup-victory)
4. [Histórico Isak en Wembley, AS](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/historico-isak-en-wembley-n/)
5. [Carabao Cup final: Eddie Howe & Newcastle team will be legends after win, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y0wkzg4wxo)
6. [Relentless Newcastle can fashion new identity in their moment of history, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/16/relentless-newcastle-can-fashion-new-identity-in-their-moment-of-history)
7. [Contrasting 50-year paths lead Liverpool and Newcastle to Wembley reunion, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/newcastle-liverpool-kevin-keegan-wembley-joelinton-b2714227.html)
8. [Arabia se sale con la suya, AS](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/arabia-se-sale-con-la-suya-n/)
9. [El Newcastle gana por primera vez la Copa de la Liga de Inglaterra, El País](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-16/el-newcastle-gana-por-primera-vez-la-copa-de-la-liga-de-inglaterra.html)
10. [Liverpool beaten at Wembley by Newcastle in Carabao Cup final, Liverpool FC](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/liverpool-beaten-wembley-newcastle-carabao-cup-final)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Individual matches and results › Football League Cup / EFL Cup finals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license