Game management – Eddie Howe, Newcastle United and Arne Slot second best | OneFootball

Sunday 16th March 2025. The League Cup Final between Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Newcastle United were dominant, a master class from Eddie Howe in outflanking Arnie Slot, His NUFC side, our team, deserved winners, with the 2-1 scoreline well and truly flattering Liverpool FC.

That solitary goal for the reds was scored by Frederico Chiesa, a gut wrenching effort, timed at 93.12, and from that point, a further eight minutes had to be endured.

Talk about game management. Even in real time, whilst it felt excruciating watching from high up in the third tier at Wembley Stadium, it was still utterly, utterly, brilliant.

I read that in those eight minutes, Liverpool didn’t get the ball into the final third.

I’ve checked back and that is 100% accurate.

Here is my analysis of what happened after Chiesa’s goal.

It actually took over two minutes for John Brooks to announce that the Liverpool Number 14 was “onside and the final decision is a goal”. The clock registered 95.16 when he uttered those awful words.

Believe it or not, Newcastle United didn’t restart the game until 96.05.

At 96.27, Callum Wilson won a throw following a tussle with Andy Robertson out on the right, which Emil Krafth didn’t take until 96.59.

Then, at 97.07 Bruno Guimaraes won another throw, this one off Cody Gakpo down near the corner flag. Another twenty five seconds before Tonali took it, 97.32 was on the clock when he did.

Only seven seconds later, Liverpool won a free kick but couldn’t take it because Bruno stood in the way.

Caoimhin Kelleher then launched the ball upfield and with the clock showing 97.54, Fabian Schar beat Virgil Van Dijk in the air, allowing Tonali to feed Willock, wide on the left.

On 98.11 little Joe won a corner off Jarell Quansah and he and Tonali gleefully ‘chest bumped’ each other. What a moment!

As the clock struck 98.23, Sandro decided to first untie and then re-tie his laces. John Brooks was having none of it, and even though the man in the middle brandished a yellow card in the direction the Italian, it still took until 98.55 for our man from Milan to take the corner, meanwhile complaining about Quansah’s encroachment.

When Tonali played the ball short to Willock, Quansah then conceded a throw.

Tonali again, this time throwing the ball to Wilson on 99.19, who aided by the Italian, retained the ball for a few valuable seconds, but failed to win another corner. Longstaff was then dispossessed by Chiesa who worked the ball to Szoboszlai, who subsequently found Salah and he pumped it out wide, the reds again looking for Van Dijk.

On 99.49, the Dutch defender, now improvising as a makeshift centre forward, was beaten for the second time in less than two minutes by Schar, whose header reached Joelinton.

On 99.53, Joelinton looked for Wilson out on the right, but Szoboszlai cut it out.

The game had now reached the 100 minute mark,100.04 to be precise. That was when Joelinton clattered into Elliott before Bruno got to Szoboszlai’s pass ahead of Gakpo, smashing it all the way back to Nick Pope who hoofed it out of play, the clock now registering 100.18.

Because of Elliott’s injury, it took Liverpool until 101.02 for them to throw the ball back to Kelleher who pumped it forward, again looking for Van Dijk, at this point perhaps more in hope than expectation.

This time Van Dijk did manage to get his head to the ball, but to no avail as Joelinton knocked it to Wilson, who played it to Willock, and at long last, that was it, the final act of an epic match.

When John Brooks blew for time, 101 minutes and 13 seconds had been played, his whistle signalling the end of Newcastle United’s trophy drought.

Cue sheer pandemonium at the black and white end of the stadium, and in the streets of Tyneside.

If anyone wants to know how sheer will can get a football team over the line, just watch those final epic minutes of game management of the League Cup Final.