Eddie Howe has heaped praise on Liverpool, calling them “the best team in the Premier League,” while discussing Newcastle United’s meticulous preparation for their triumphant League Cup final clash against the Reds. With goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak, Newcastle secured a 2-1 victory at Wembley.
Burn’s first-half stoppage-time goal was particularly pivotal, managing to score as he broke away from Alexis Mac Allister to head in from a corner at the far post.
Howe opened up about how the Magpies had been focusing on their set-pieces in the fortnight leading up to the final, commending his players for earning a well-deserved win.
“We respect Liverpool but I don’t think you can go on the pitch and fear anyone,” he remarked. “You have to really believe in yourself and I think we did today. I don’t think anyone can begrudge us the win.
“I am a firm believer that you are in control of everything. We tried to focus on the performance. I have to compliment Liverpool.
“Liverpool have been the best team in the Premier League by a mile this year, consistently, so we had to raise our game to have any chance to beat them. We needed everyone to give their maximum game and I think they did.
“I thought we made it difficult for ourselves when we conceded the goal. Typical us really, we had been so good during the game.
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“I thought it was handball then offside, we left a really tricky spell at the end but managed that 10 minutes really well.
“The actual work for the game started after West Ham. We did certain things like the set plays, no team shape as such but the set plays we started a while back.
“We all sat down two weeks away from the final and said a set play can win us the game, let’s see what we can do. Let’s go into the details that could swing it for us.
“We’re not trying to be clever or give us a pat on the back at all, it is all up to the players to deliver. Kieran’s ball, Dan’s header, but things can make a difference.
“His (Burn’s) performance today was colossal at the back. Both teams were quite direct and we knew Liverpool had a direct threat.
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“We have been working on those corners tirelessly for two weeks. We’ve had mixed success, I can be honest, in training, and he has delivered.
“With such a long wait for a trophy, this will be a day everyone will never forget, we will never forget it. I certainly won’t.
“Today we won it in the best way. We played against a brilliant opponent, the best team in the Premier League all season by a long way but we were the better team.”
When questioned about his subdued response at the end of the match, he told Sky Sports: “You have to show respect to the opposition. Liverpool were class today. That speaks volumes about them as a football club. How they reacted in that moment because we’ve been there two years ago (vs Manchester United), it’s not easy.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
