Carabao Cup Final: Newcastle United leave in defeat, but defiant about the future
Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United: Casemiro (33), Botman o.g. (39).
The dust has settled. The fairytale wasn’t to be. But Newcastle United walk away from Wembley with their heads held high. It wasn’t a perfect game, nor a perfect performance, but everything was left out on that pitch in black and white.
Ultimately, the Magpies fell to a mixture of their own shortcomings – defensive mistakes and spurned opportunities – and an opponent whose experience and calmness proved pivotal. It was little surprise to see Manchester United midfielder Casemiro earn the Man of the Match award in a game where he drove the Red Devils to success with both a maturity and passion which can only come from a player now collecting his 17th major trophy of his career.
But it is not a time of sadness on Tyneside. One of bitter disappointment of what could have been, sure. But not sadness. Not apathy. Rather one of hope and aspiration. Newcastle United announced their return to the uppermost echelons of English football, and showed their true potential while being there.
Half of Wembley saw itself adorned in black and white, flags waving and voices roaring as if it were St. James’ Park itself. Even at 2-0 down, in injury time with no prospect of a comeback, the stands became full of proudly waving flags. Those weren’t a show of defeat or displeasure, but rather a chorus of support and solidarity for those Newcastle United players who had given it there all out on that pitch.
For anyone out there watching the 2023 Carabao Cup Final, it showed the potential of Newcastle United. It showed the passion and fervour of the fanbase. And it showed that the one primary message of Newcastle fans throughout the Mike Ashley era rang true: “We do not demand a team that wins, just a team that tries.”
That was exactly what they got from Eddie Howe and his players. There were mistakes in the game. Poor passes and offensive bluntness around the opposition box. There were frustrating moments and head scratching decisions. But everything was left out on that turf, and it is a club at the beginning of its journey.
Just 18 months ago, the club were in freefall. Newcastle United looked like the takeover was never going to come, locked deep within the grasps of litigation, and their form almost consigned supporters to a future of relegation and another stint of Championship football – this time with no promise of a quick return to the top flight.
Instead, 18 months on, the Toon Army walked back out of Wembley defeated but defiant. We still remain in a remarkable position in the Premier League, with a manager continuing to strive for the best out of his players – both new and old – and an ownership who seem to understand the very basic demands of a football club like Newcastle United; to represent the city, and represent it with pride.
We can only see what will come in the next few months and years. We very well may not recoup the stunning form we had seen pre-World Cup. We may not even finish within the European qualification places. But we have a team that is fighting, that is in the conversation, and that is something that has been missing on Tyneside for many years.
The spark is back in Newcastle United – and that is an exciting time for the club, for the players, and for the supporters.
Losing the 2023 Carabao Cup final will be a sore memory for those players currently. But with the prospects, potential and backing that Newcastle United now finds itself – both in the boardroom and on the streets of Tyneside – it could soon be just a footnote in a much richer history.
We are the beginning of a journey, and this cup final defeat was just another step along the road. It may have been more than 20 years since Newcastle United had been in a cup final before this game. It is unlikely to be as many before they are in another.