Following his England call-up earlier this week, Dan Burn was the star of Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
Burn put Newcastle ahead with a brilliant header before half-time and really settled any nerves that might have travelled down from Tyneside.
Liverpool have been very good at defending set-pieces this season under Arne Slot, but there appeared to be a mistake in how they set up against Burn in particular.
Alexis Mac Allister was tasked with stifling Burn’s run, a mismatch for the ages given their height and stature difference.
Mac Allister didn’t stand a chance, and it was surprising that he continued to play the same role when defending corners in the second half.
Dan Burn says Alexis Mac Allister wasn’t looking at the ball when he scored
That being said, Burn spoke to Sky Sports after his goal at Wembley that capped off a remarkable week in his career.
Burn said he was ‘dreaming’ after both his England call-up and his goal which led to Newcastle’s first major trophy win in 70 years.
And when specifically asked about his goal at full-time, Burn admitted: “I knew Alexis wasn’t looking at the ball and I’d be able to get a jump on him. I don’t get many so I saved it for a big occasion.
“I feel sometimes I get around bodies and it’s tough to get free. I feel strange, I feel numb at the minute.”
One suspects that Burn might enjoy some well-earned celebrations before he heads off with England, where he might even be in Thomas Tuchel’s starting eleven plans.
Eddie Howe praises ‘colossus’ Dan Burn after Wembley win
Speaking after the game, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe deservedly praised Burn too.
Virgil van Dijk embraced Burn at full-time, a classy gesture by the Liverpool captain.
And Howe was clearly delighted with the trophy win and Burn’s contribution, a defender who’s always been so reliable since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Howe said: “We were well aware of the history and we wanted to do the club proud. We wanted to score, we wanted to perform and we wanted to win.
“We are breaking new ground, I thought we were magnificent today.
“We worked consistently for two weeks on set plays just for this game and if you had seen us in practice you would have said we had no chance.
“We couldn’t believe Dan Burn scored – he didn’t train like that! He was a colossus for us.”
