Newcastle United fans celebrate end of 56-year trophy drought
Newcastle city centre ground to a halt as the Toon Army celebrated the end of the club's 56-year trophy drought.
Drivers tooted their horns in celebration outside St James' Park to mark Newcastle United's 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
Many fans were not alive the last time the club won a domestic trophy 70 years ago and it is 56 years since they won in Europe – the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1969.
After watching along with several thousands other supporters at a fanzone in Newcastle, Brian Ramshaw, 65, said: 'We have always been the bridesmaid, never the bride … but not today, not today.'
He pointed to his black and white scarf featuring the late manager Sir Bobby Robson and said: 'Bring it home for Bobby.'
Kelly Wood, 39, from North Shields, North Tyneside, was wearing a plastic poncho and said she had been swilled with beer when the goals went in.
Her friend Kelly Wood, 28, joked: 'Tomorrow should be a bank holiday, we deserve it.'
Liverpool, who have won 38 trophies since Newcastle's last, were strong favourites to win the cup and are riding high in the Premier League.
But the Magpies outplayed them and left their success-starved fans ready to party.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How can Liverpool afford Florian Wirtz?
The signing of Florian Wirtz comprises a new club-record deal for Liverpool. Wirtz will join from Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year contract. In exchange, Liverpool have agreed to pay the German club £100million ($135.9m) in guaranteed fees, with a potential £16m due in add-ons. The deal, even without those add-ons, eclipses Liverpool's previous transfer record by a distance. That record is generally seen as having been in place since January 2018, when they parted with £75m to buy Virgil van Dijk from Southampton. Advertisement In fact, the Van Dijk fee may already have been topped prior to this agreement. Darwin Nunez was signed from Benfica in June 2022 for an initial £64m that could rise to £85m. To the end of last December, according to the Portuguese side's financial disclosures, Liverpool had paid a further €10m (around £8.5m) of a potential €25m in add-ons, so any more conditions being met in the last six months could mean Nunez's transfer fee went past Van Dijk's. Either way, Wirtz's signing tops both of them, and makes him one of only a dozen or so footballers in history to command a £100m-plus fee. How, then, can his new side afford him? Wirtz's club-record arrival comes at a time when Liverpool are enjoying record revenues. They cleared £600m for the first time in 2023-24, a year in which they had to make do with Europa League football and finishing third in the Premier League. Last season, with a return to the Champions League and a twentieth domestic title secured, alongside a full season of the extended Anfield Road End being open and continued commercial growth, Liverpool should have topped £700m in turnover, a feat only previously managed by Manchester City in England. A further record in 2025-26 looks likely. The Athletic estimates Liverpool earned £181.5m through winning the Premier League and, even if they don't retain the title in 2025-26, they will still benefit from an uptick in the league's overall income. A new TV rights cycle starts this season, with the Premier League expecting to earn £12.25bn over the next three years — a 17 per cent increase on the 2022-25 cycle. Liverpool's commercial growth is well-placed to continue. August will see them begin a new kit deal with Adidas. The agreement, while incentive-based, represents a significant potential increase on the club's already lucrative arrangement with Nike. The latter secured Liverpool a base payment of £30million a season, but garnered around double that in reality. Booming revenues are all well and good but of little use if your expenditure is through the roof. Liverpool lost £57.1million pre-tax in 2023-24, the worst financial result both of the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) era and in the club's history, so are costs are swallowing their income whole? Not really. That big loss a year ago was very much out of the ordinary for a club who, across FSG's near-15 years at the helm, have broken even. In fact they've most likely done better than that: as detailed in The Athletic's BookKeeper series, published in March, we expect Liverpool to have returned to profitability in 2024-25, and healthy profitability too. Even if the club's wage bill crept up to the £400m mark — not a guarantee by any stretch, but possible once league-winning bonuses were handed out — we project Liverpool could still have booked a £30m profit. Advertisement The club are big wage-payers, as evidenced by their 2023-24 wage bill only trailing Manchester City domestically. The Athletic understands Wirtz will earn around £200,000 per week at Anfield, before any bonuses which may accrue to him. From Liverpool's perspective, inclusive of employer-related costs on top of his basic salary, Wirtz will cost them at least £12m a year to employ. Liverpool have some world-class players and pay them accordingly, but they'll benefit from the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also cost them £12m a year in employment-related costs (again before bonuses). One of the reasons the signings of Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson are often pointed to as examples of Liverpool not skimping on fees is they were pretty much outliers; they did spend big on the pair, but their transfer spending has generally trailed domestic rivals. At the end of 2023-24 the cost of assembling Liverpool's squad, across transfer and agent fees, was £749.4m, the seventh most expensive squad in the world but well behind Chelsea (£1.4bn), Manchester City (£1.1bn), Manchester United (£943.9m) and Arsenal (£882.4m). Correspondingly, annual amortisation costs hitting the club's books were well below domestic peers; Liverpool's amortisation bill of £114.5m last year was over £20m behind Spurs and £75m less than Chelsea. After a quiet summer in 2024, amortisation won't have ticked up much, if at all. Assuming his signing completes on June 16, when the transfer window reopens, Wirtz's £100m fee, plus assumed agent fees on top of around 10 per cent, will add £20.9m to Liverpool's 2025-26 amortisation bill, with a further £21.8m per season following thereafter until 2029-30 (a small sliver, £1.8m, will fall into 2030-31 as a result of the club's 31 May accounting date). Alongside the recent signing of Jeremie Frimpong, they'll have added around £28m a season onto their amortisation costs, but they'll still trail all the rest of the 'Big Six' clubs, with the potential exception of Spurs. Advertisement No. We recently explained how Liverpool could have lost £75m last season without breaking any Premier League rules. Across wages and transfer fee amortisation, signing Wirtz will add an extra £34m or so in annual costs — but the club have the headroom to handle it. That's not to say that outgoings are not likely this summer. They aren't needed to satisfy Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) — the profitability of 2024-25 and growing revenues will ensure no issues there — but they will help balance both the squad and the books. FSG has long sought to run Liverpool sustainably and, while they can splurge this summer without fear of bankruptcy or rule-breaking, and lose a chunk of money in 2025-26 if they wish to, that doesn't mean they'll do it for the sake of it. A big money departure, likely Nunez, would be no surprise. Cash worries are different from PSR ones, but Liverpool have little concern there either. Access to funds is no problem. Even if FSG was reluctant to loan money in (something they've generally preferred to do for infrastructure spend rather than operational costs), the ownership refinanced a revolving credit facility in September last year, lifting its limit from £200m to £350m. At the end of May 2024, it had only drawn down £116m of the original £200m, so there's plenty to be dipped into if the need arises. Liverpool may not need to increase borrowings anyway. Operating cash flow was positive at £83.7m in 2023-24 even without Champions League revenue, while cash spent on infrastructure has reduced following the completion of the revamped Anfield Road End. As well, their relatively low spending on transfers — and keenness to pay more of deals up front if they can — means Liverpool owe far less than peers in outstanding fee instalments. At the end of May 2024, they owed a net £69.9m, an amount which is expected to have dropped even lower in the past year. The previous figure was already lower than seven other Premier League clubs at the time and nowhere near the £308.9m Manchester United owed at the end of March 2025. Signing Wirtz is a significant undertaking for Liverpool. Combining the transfer fee, assumed agent fees and five years of his basic salary puts the total cost to Liverpool of signing and employing him at an estimated £170.5m. With potential add-ons and bonuses that sum could feasibly reach £200m. All parties concerned will hope it does — it will mean Wirtz and Liverpool have enjoyed plenty of success together. Those are big sums, but then Liverpool are a wealthy club. FSG's ownership has not been to every fan's taste, but it is precisely because of its frugality that Liverpool are able to make these deals when opportunities arise.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
How to watch Chelsea vs Manchester United live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Chelsea's tenuous hold on a Champions League space meets an old rival when lower-half Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Friday. The Blues enter Week 37 with 63 points, above sixth-place Aston Villa on goal differential and seventh-place Nottingham Forest by a single point. Advertisement WATCH — Chelsea v Manchester United Enzo Maresca's men control their own destiny with the visit from the Red Devils before a potentially-huge scrap at Forest to close the season. As for Friday's visitors, Manchester United are prepping for the Europa League Final, their only path to the Champions League thanks to a mostly-abysmal Premier League campaign. The 16th-place Red Devils go to London with more than a single eye on their Wednesday UEL Final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao. For live updates and highlights throughout Chelsea vs Manchester United, check out PST's live blog coverage below… How to watch Chelsea vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 3:15pm ET Friday Venue: Stamford Bridge TV Channel: Peacock Streaming: Premier League on Peacock Chelsea team news, focus OUT: Nicolas Jackson (suspension), Jadon Sancho (loan - unable to fce parent club), Christopher Nkunku (undisclosed), Aaron Anselmino (thigh), Wesley Fofana (thigh - out for season), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Omari Kellyman (hamstring - out for season), Marc Guiu (thigh) Manchester United team news, focus OUT: Matthijs de Ligt (knee), Diogo Dalot (calf), Joshua Zirkzee (thigh - MORE), Ayden Heaven (leg - MORE), Lisandro Martinez (torn ACL - MORE), Toby Collyer (leg) | QUESTIONABLE: Leny Yoro (ankle) Chelsea vs Manchester United prediction This, in theory, should look more like a Conference League match than a Premier League match, as the Blues will arrive with urgency while United simply want to be healthy for Spurs and the UEL Final. Of course Amorim will expect fire from the players he selects for this match, but Chelsea's first-choice team — even without suspended Nicolas Jackson — is better than United's first-choice team, let alone its depth. Chelsea 3-1 Man United.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bundesliga Side Pushing to Sign £25million Manchester City Star
Bayer Leverkusen Eyeing Manchester City Star in Potential Summer Swoop Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly preparing an offer for Manchester City's highly-rated youngster James McAtee, according to Sky Sports News. As per reporting from Amar Mehta and Lyall Thomas, Leverkusen's interest in McAtee is concrete, though no formal bid could be tabled before the close of the most recent transfer window. Advertisement The 22-year-old midfielder, currently captaining the England Under-21 side during their matches in Slovakia, has become a notable figure in Manchester City's youth structure. His performances for both club and country have not gone unnoticed, and Leverkusen's interest reflects a broader trend of top European sides targeting Premier League academy graduates. A move, however, is not imminent. It cannot progress until McAtee's international duties and the upcoming Club World Cup have concluded. As the report states, 'An offer could not be made in the first window, which closed on Tuesday.' This leaves City with ample time to evaluate their options and the true valuation of one of their promising assets. Photo: IMAGO City Set Steep Price Tag Amid Growing Interest City have reportedly placed a valuation of 'in excess of £25m plus add-ons' on McAtee, though some sources believe that figure could rise even higher. In context, this puts him in similar territory to fellow City academy graduate Cole Palmer, who was sold to Chelsea for £40m. Advertisement While Palmer's rise and value spike are significant, McAtee offers a slightly different profile. He is more central in nature, combining creativity with directness and composure in possession. The question many fans and analysts are now asking is whether Manchester City will allow another homegrown talent to depart before he's had a proper chance in the first team. This isn't the first time Leverkusen have tapped into the Premier League pipeline, and their ability to offer meaningful minutes and exposure in a top European league has become an attractive proposition for emerging English talent. McAtee Keen on Bundesliga Adventure The key revelation from Sky Sports is that McAtee is 'understood to be keen to join Leverkusen if the clubs can come to an agreement.' That level of player interest could accelerate talks once formal negotiations begin. In the modern transfer market, player intention carries significant weight, and with McAtee evidently open to the move, Manchester City must weigh the short-term benefits of a sizeable fee against the long-term regret of losing another gem. Advertisement Leverkusen's appeal is multi-faceted. With Champions League football now a regular prospect at the BayArena, the stage could be set for him to flourish. What City's Transfer Strategy Says About McAtee's Future There's no doubt Manchester City have a blueprint for academy development, but selling talents like Palmer and potentially McAtee raises questions about their long-term integration plans. Are these players being nurtured for first-team action, or groomed for profit? While McAtee has featured for City at senior level, consistent minutes have proven elusive. Loan spells have offered glimpses of his potential, but for a player of his quality, the next step must be decisive. Advertisement If Leverkusen are willing to meet City's valuation, this could be one of the most notable outbound transfers of the summer. With the Premier League becoming increasingly ruthless at the top end, Manchester City may regret letting another creative force leave without fully tapping into his capabilities. Our View – EPL Index Analysis From the perspective of a Manchester City supporter, this story is layered with excitement, frustration and uncertainty. James McAtee has been widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects to emerge from the club's academy in recent years. Watching players like Cole Palmer succeed elsewhere begs the question: are we giving these youngsters enough opportunity? McAtee is the kind of player City could need in transition games, in tighter cup fixtures or when rotation becomes critical during the business end of the season. He's technically sound, reads the game intelligently and clearly has the maturity to lead, as shown by his captaincy role with England's U21s. Advertisement There's something bittersweet in potentially losing him to Leverkusen. Yes, £25m or more is good business, but is that truly reflective of what he could become under Guardiola or even as part of a deeper squad reshuffle post-Kevin De Bruyne? In the current market, a fully integrated McAtee could be worth double in a couple of seasons. Xabi Alonso's style and tactical approach would suit McAtee perfectly, and one can't help but feel he'd thrive in Germany. However, from a City standpoint, it's tough to reconcile allowing another homegrown star to flourish abroad while the club continues to spend heavily on ready-made midfielders. Selling McAtee might make financial sense today, but could prove a footballing misstep tomorrow.