Eddie Howe (Image: Getty)
Kevin Keegan, Sir Bobby Robson, Kenny Dalglish and Ruud Gullit to name but a few of many. Eddie Howe has succeeded where they all failed and ended ’s 56-wait for a trophy.
Most fans weren’t around in 1969 when lifted the old Fairs Cup.
Even fewer in the black and white days of 70 years ago when ‘Wor Jackie’ Milburn helped them win the 1955 FA Cup Final, their last success at Wembley.
Finally have a new generation of heroes, led by Howe, to worship.
It was only Howe’s second win over in 22 attempts and boy has he had to wait to enjoy this moment.
He is the first English manager to lift a major trophy since Harry Redknapp in 2008 and with the Saudis bankrolling the Toon, this could be the first success of many over the coming years.
That’s in the future and back to yesterday when were immense as they overpowered ’s tired .
may have swept all before them in the Premier League, but they looked leggy at Wembley after the huge disappointment of losing on penalties to Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Take nothing away from and they were the better team for almost the entire match before Federico Chiesa scored in stoppage time to ensure a nervy final few minutes.
Step forward Dan Burn and what a weekend the boyhood fan and centre-half is having.
After receiving his first England call-up on Friday at the age of 32, he headed home the opener to put on the path to glory.
Alexander Isak continued his hot streak against to score his fourth goal against them in six appearances to secure the Toon’s first win over the Reds in 18 attempts since 2015.
There were huge displays all over the pitch from Burn and Tino Livramento in defence, to Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes in midfield and Jacob Murphy and Isak up top.
They fully deserved their historic success and they were so much better than .
It was all and Sandro Tonali shot wide before Andy Robertson, one of the few players to turn up, blocked Kieran Trippier’s shot and Caoimhin Kelleher saved Guimaraes’ flicked header.
kept knocking on ’s door and they were rewarded on the stroke of half-time when the Reds left the diminutive Alexis MacAllister to mark Burn at the back post and he powered home Trippier’s corner.
briefly stirred and , who did nothing, crossed for Luis Diaz to nod the ball back for Diogo Jota to slice his shot horribly wide.
– and celebrity fans Ant and Dec – were in dreamland when Isak made it 2-0 on 52 minutes with an excellent finish.
Livramento crossed from the left and Murphy nodded the ball down for Isak to fire home expertly.
Slot, who did not enjoy his first visit to Wembley, threw on Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez and the former was a threat.
Nick Pope denied Jones with a strong arm to keep out his shot before he fired over.
Nunez had a typical a Nunez afternoon and he miscontrolled the ball when Burn inadvertently headed the ball down to him in the box.
might have had a third and Kelleher did well to keep out Isak’s effort from Harvey Barnes’ pull-back.
Federico Chiesa gave some hope when he pulled a goal back in the fourth minute of stoppage time from fellow substitute Harvey Elliott’s pass after an interminable VAR wait.
But it was too little, too late as Howe and wrote a glorious new chapter in their rich history.