The black-and-white-clad hordes had turned up wondering if it would finally be the day. There was optimism and yet massive apprehension, too. The Newcastle United support had lived on the end of their nerves since advancing to this Carabao Cup final. When you last won a domestic trophy in 1955 – the FA Cup victory against Manchester City, the goals from Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell and George Hannah going down in folklore – it is going to be this way.

But it was the day, one when new legends were born. Above all, it was just a giant Newcastle party. Yes, there was tension at the end, of course there was when the board went up to show eight additional minutes and Federico Chiesa, on as a Liverpool substitute, ran through to make it 2-1, the goal given after a review showed he was onside.

Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle: Carabao Cup final updates – live reaction

And yet once Alexander Isak had scored for 2-0 with a clinical half‑volley early in the second half, the result never truly felt in doubt. Newcastle refused to allow it to become yet another hard-luck story. They drove this triumph through their collective will. They were in control throughout.

Where to start? There was Dan Burn, who scored the first goal before the interval with a thundering epic of a header and refused to concede an inch in defence. All this in the week of his first England callup. There was Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton in midfield. There was Isak. And then there was Eddie Howe.

When the manager took over in November 2021, Newcastle were in the Premier League’s relegation zone. He began by restoring stability, self‑respect, and then led them up the division and into the Champions League.

The dismantling of Paris Saint-Germain in October 2023 on the night when St James’s Park hosted Champions League football for the first season since 2002-03 will live for ever. It was topped by this – Howe’s glory, perfectly calibrated, the most tangible of dividends for the club’s Saudi owners.

Alexander Isak and Tino Livramento celebrate after Isak scored their second goal. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Nigel French/Apl/Sportsphoto

Newcastle were without the suspended Anthony Gordon, the injured Lewis Hall and Sven Botman. Their form had been erratic. They had not beaten Liverpool since December 2015. None of it mattered as Arne Slot’s team were brought to their knees for the second time in a week.

Slot had wanted to see a reaction to the Champions League last-16 exit against PSG but it did not come. The league title surely will and that will represent an outstanding achievement. But the impression here was that they were a team working on muscle memory, running on empty.

It was easy to feel that it meant more to Newcastle, principally because of their long wait for silverware and also because these type of showpieces have been so rare for them. It was just their sixth Wembley cup final since 1955. Not only had they lost each previous one, they had scored but a single goal (Alan Gowling against Manchester City in the 1976 League Cup final).

Howe’s team felt the emotion from their fans; the passion and noise pounded. The black‑and‑white scarves held outstretched as one or swirled above heads, also as one, were such a feature of the scene. The players were not overwhelmed. They channelled it, they mastered the occasion.

Newcastle ran hard from the first whistle, physicality to the fore. One first-half moment summed things up, Joelinton sprinting back on 38 minutes to win the ball off Jarell Quansah. Joelinton clenched his fists and screamed at the Newcastle crowd. It was not the only time that he got his foot in to good effect. Or celebrated wildly with the supporters.

It was bedlam when Burn scored, the TV cutaways picking out Alan Shearer losing his mind, Ant & Dec too. The new England manager, Thomas Tuchel, had joked that it was easy to overlook Burn because of his size and how did Liverpool leave him so free? They had not heeded the warning in the 36th minute when Burn nodded a corner back for Guimarães, who could not muster the power on a flicked header.

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Newcastle looked consistently for Burn on corners and when Kieran Trippier drove over there was nobody close to the centre-half. He had started his run from deep and if the leap was majestic there was something cinematic in how he butted the ball from quite a distance into the far corner.

Sandro Tonali had curled a shot wide on 24 minutes and it was fair to write that Liverpool did not turn up before the interval. Straight after the Burn goal, Luis Díaz headed back for Diogo Jota but he could not sort out his feet. It was a completely isolated first-half flicker from Liverpool.

Newcastle were in dreamland early in the second half when Isak banged home. Newcastle had put the ball in the net a couple of minutes beforehand, Isak turning home after Caoimhin Kelleher’s save from Burn – only for the offside flag to go up. It had followed another corner, Joelinton teeing up Burn from beyond the far post. Now Tino Livramento hung up a high cross and Jacob Murphy just wanted it more than Andy Robertson. When his header went to Isak, there was no doubt about the finish.

Slot made changes. One of them, Curtis Jones, drew a smart tip‑over from Nick Pope. But it would have been over shortly afterwards had Kelleher not kept out an improvised close-range volley from Isak.

Liverpool’s hopes were faint, even when the board went up to signal the stoppage-time. They scored when Guimarães tried a risky spin move and was robbed by the substitute, Harvey Elliott, who played in Chiesa. There would be no outlandish comeback. When the full-time whistle sounded, Newcastle could start to drink it in.