Blasphemy! A wee club in the north-east threaten sir Alex Ferguson's dominance!

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Newcastle enjoy more easy success over Gunners as Dong Dexin makes a decision

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Rob Lee
Published at 7:33PM, January 30 2027

The tides in our rivalry with Arsenal have changed significantly over the years and we developed a preference to play a side we once feared. Our three meetings with the Gunners lately have come to emphasize that - we scored sixteen and conceded none to win all of them. Perhaps the most crucial one was today. With an early kick off the players were they needed a result to stay in touch with Blackburn and ahead of Leeds. This time around there was little tension as we produced three quick goals to break them down early. I think in the end David Moyes was relieved his team got away with conceding only four as it could have been far worse for Arsenal.

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One time rivals easy prey now​

Despite the good win nothing changed in the league table - both Leeds and Blackburn won their games, too. One thing comes to mind when watching the results though. We are far more expressive with our attack. Whatever happens between now and May it is extremely unlikely any of our competitors will produce a better goal difference. If we somehow end up tied in points we will have this to our advantage.

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Chinese fans in tears: Dong Dexin retires!​

There is a bit of good news from the squad today as well. Chinese striker Dong Dexin misses a large chunk of the season every two years to international duty. The period Dong Dexin is unavailable extends between December and early February, longer than if he had to go to Africa instead. It happened this season, too and with some of our players out to injury it gave a few selection headaches to manager Hristov. It won't happen again. Dong Dexin called an exclusive press conference to announce he is retiring from international football at the age of 29. China will certainly miss him but remember him for decades to come as he managed an impressive record of 178 goals in 177 appearances for his nation.
 
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PUBLISHED: 20:55 GMT, 30 January 2027 | UPDATED: 20:57 GMT, 30 January 2027

Wednesday win on Saturday keeps European dream alive

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It was a good day for the red half of Liverpool. Not that beating struggling Sheffield Wednesday at home is a massive achievement but it was somewhat of a Rubicon for us and we find ourselves on the correct side of it. Playing catch-up with the Manchester clubs and Chelsea is a little harder when you have to look over your shoulder in the same time. Three points today plus Everton losing to Spurs means we are safe in 7th and can focus on climbing the table. It also all but confirms we will finish this season as the city's top club - something we managed only once in the last three seasons.

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Kings of the city feels like a trophy already​

While we shouldn't count on it, it is very much possible that our current position is enough to make a return to Europe. For that to happen we will need Newcastle to beat Oxford in the Capital One Cup final and none of the clubs outside top 4 to reach the final in the FA Cup. It would be best if we can do the job ourselves though.

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Dream for the sky - Champions League not too far!​

The more intriguing prospect is the Champions League. Yes, we still have a chance to make it. Manchester City aren't beyond our reach with six points ahead. It might seem unlikely and we will need some results to go our way but the next month could provide some long-due luck to Liverpool. After such a disappointing first half of the season I find nothing wrong with dreaming for the sky again!
 
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January Watch

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Premier League Table

The Contenders:

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Blackburn (1st; 73pts; +52) another perfect month for Rovers means they are now becoming the favourite for the title. They will be happy to enter the latter stages with the comfort of an injury free squad.
0 Current first team injuries.

Newcastle (2nd; 64pts; +70) an away draw at Anfield means Magpies have reached their limit of mistakes if they are to continue their dominance. They have had some issues with injuries and international duty and two of their key players will miss most of February so it will be interesting to see how Hristov approaches the games knowing another error might let Rovers get too far ahead.
2 Current first team injuries:
Leomar (DM/MRC/AMRL) 2-3 weeks (strained knee ligaments)
Mickaël van der Vaart (AMRL/ST) 3-4 weeks (sprained ankle)

Leeds (3rd; 64pts; +41) imperative form from Leeds allows them to catch Newcastle in second place. It's unlikely they will be able to pip the title but their chances certainly appear to be growing.
2 Current first team injuries:
Rémi Rivière (MRC) 2-7 days (sprained ankle)
Brian Shea (DC/WBL/AML) 3-4 weeks (fractured ribs)

Chelsea (5th; 47pts; +17) three January wins are good enough for the Blues to keep their fifth position. European football is nearly guaranteed and they are certainly in the picture for the top four fight.
3 Current first team injuries:
Gabriel (M/AMC/ST) 6 weeks -2 months (dislocated shoulder)
Dani (M/AMR) 3-5 weeks (broken collarbone)
Sebastjan Abvelj 10-14 days (sprained ankle)

Manchester United (6th; 45pts; +20) only 3 points for the Devils this month seems hugely disappointing but don't let that trick you. They played just two Premier League games this month because of cup duty and losing to Blackburn is hardly the end of the world. Sir Alex will hope the squad isn't too tired because their games in hand will play a decisive part in their bid for the top 4.
1 Current first team injury:
Gabriel López (MC) 6-9 days (thigh strain)

Liverpool (7th; 44pts; +7) decent January brings eight points to the red half of Merseyside. While they are on the fringes of the European slots fight they amazingly still have an outside chance for the top four.
6 Current first team injuries:
Salvador (DM, MC) 4-6 weeks (hip injury)
Bruma (MR, AMRL) 3-5 days (sprained wrist)
Daniël van Bremen (M/AMC/ST) 2 months (torn calf muscle)
John Schofield (MC) 5-10 days (dislocated shoulder)
Badji Soumbounou (AMRL/ST) 4-5 weeks (strained knee ligaments)
Jacinto Bellés (ST) 2-3 weeks (strained knee ligaments)

Other teams to watch:​

Manchester City (4th) took advantage of their rivals United's cup engagements to return in the top four. The Citizens are remarkably well positioned to upset the odds and make a much anticipated return to the Champions League next season.

Everton (8th) moved a couple places up the table but the gap to their Liverpool neighbours is too big. It will be mid-table this time for the Toffees.

Arsenal (10th) appear all set to miss out on Europe. Unless they pull an extraordinary run the Gunners will end up with a season they will want to forget.

Crystal Palace (17th) are very much in the deep and if they don't take advantage of their two games in hand could easily find themselves relegated.

Stoke, Birmingham and Derby remain in the bottom three for the second month in a row. Stoke's position appears especially dire with the managerial change backfiring spectacularly.

January Player of the Month:
Luca Boccaccini (Blackburn)
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January Young Player of the Month:
Danny Glazer (Arsenal)
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January Manager of the Month:
Neil Lennon (Blackburn)
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Leading Goalscorers:
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Surprisingly and rather disappointingly for the media this time around the deadline day produced no bombs. Just a few small deals between the lesser Premier League clubs and a flurry of loan deals in the lower Leagues. To make up for this here is a thorough list of the biggest deals in both windows for season 2026/27:

English Premier League
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Transfer Market is now CLOSED!

Important note: All transfers the title contenders conducted in the January transfer window have been included by redacting the respective squad preview posts in page 5 of the thread! Be sure to check them out if you haven't done so already to learn how they are equipped for the fight!​
 
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Premier League
Round 27

Tuesday 2nd February 2027:

Chelsea - Oxford 2-0
Benoist (5), Simon (69)
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Leeds - Manchester United 1-0
Pöyry (34), Jones sent off (70)
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Wednesday 3rd February 2027:

Sheffield Wednesday - Newcastle 0-3
Priestley (22), Lampi (25), Pilar (69)
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Blackburn - Liverpool 3-1
Aguilar (12), Maldonado (14), Josué (49); Jesenkovic (45+1)
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League Table:

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Blackburn see off Liverpool to make it sixteen in a row in the league!
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By Kevin Gallacher..................11:12 PM Wednesday 3rd February 2027 in Sport
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Neil Lennon must be in some pact with the Devil because we continue to extend our best ever sequence in the league - it's now sixteen wins in a row. No one took points off us since the draw away at Leeds and we are unbeaten in 21 league games. I guess whatever bargain Lennon made with the dark side he thinks it's worth it!

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Perfect Rovers run continues​

It wasn't an easy affair against Liverpool even though two early goals from Aguilar and Maldonado made it look that way. The visitors did well to claw one back at the end of the half and there were some worrying signs of complacency. I think given the balance of the game and the amount of chances created by each side we were a little fortunate to get a third goal early after the break. I really don't know why fans and critics thought it would be a walk in the park. The lads have rubbed off this attitude and some of them appeared to be thinking they could just show up and the job would get done. Hopefully the alarm bells will be heard in time and what's necessary will be done in time.

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We have to go to that place soon​

We must not sit on our laurels because Newcastle and Leeds have been on similar runs. The Magpies are extremely dangerous as thing are still in their hands mathematically. We have to face them on their ground soon and they will be extra motivated to heap revenge as we are the only side to beat them in the league so far this season. What's important right now is we maintain our run until that game and head to it with full confidence and all guns blazing.
 
Important results plus key transfers ease the pressure on Marcelino
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Tony Cascarino Commentary
Last updated at 11:24PM, February 3 2027

A couple big transfers, two wins in a row and Marcelino can breathe again. It was a tough month for the Spanish manager with the shadow of the axe hanging over him but the Times can officially confirm his job is safe - for the time being. It was always a question of backing the manager or cutting the damage for Roman Abramovic and on a rare flip of the coin he chose the former.

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Board look to correct summer wrongs​

Marcelino had a solid argument to back his case. Summer transfers left him short in defense as we pointed out on numerous occasions. Had the board done their bit earlier perhaps the Blues would have been more involved with the title hunt rather than sweating over Champions League qualification. They failed at it but to their credit they recognized the mistake and took responsibility. It is a sign of something which stopped them from playing a more serious role in recent years - stability. And indeed Marcelino is the fifth manager to lead the troops this decade after Andre Villas-Boas, Vitor Pereira, Emre Belözoğlu and Antonio Conte. It would have been sad to see another man gone before he has even finished his first season at the club.

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Eliminating Bayern essential​

But the manager hasn't reached calm waters yet. Substantial outlay on defender Pritchard and midfield enforcer Varillas will need to be justified by improved results and achieving success in at least one of the three battles Chelsea are still in - Champions League, FA Cup or top four. Considering the serious opposition the Blues face in the league a loss either against Coventry or Bayern in other competitions could prove fatal.
 
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Premier League
Round 28

Saturday 6th February 2027:

Blackburn - Arsenal 1-0
Boccaccini (51)
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Derby County - Liverpool 1-3
Ntagalis (45+1); Mork (25, 89), Villa (63)
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Chelsea - Q.P.R. 3-1
Varillas (14, 39), Simon (72); Dudill (56)
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Sunday 7th February 2027:

West Ham - Manchester United 1-2
Lukaku (85); Shoretire (1), Atkin (17)
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Leeds - Newcastle 0-1
Diédhiou (66)
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League Table:

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Leeds United: daylight robbery prevents us from stopping the champions - Matteo
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by Dominic Matteo
I'm not one to judge the referees but even the most tranquil of persons could lose their nerve after watching referee Barnard rob us of a well deserved and perfectly good goal in our penultimate match of the season! Barnard and his assistant are the only two in the entire stadium who saw an offside when Kieron Aspinall did nothing wrong beside coolly slotting the ball home. Referees like that are a shame to the profession. They are professionals for Christ's sake, somebody pays them money for that ****? These people must be locked away where they can't harm nobody and the ones responsible for hiring them in the first place should go have their heads examined! Hopefully someone sends them death threats and they retire early. Or terribly, irreparably late if you ask me.

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Barnard and his assistant

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Rant over. This was a perfectly good chance to jump ahead of Newcastle and now it's gone. The lads played their hearts out so they can't be blamed. I think Redknapp was astute with the subs as well and Aspinall made his presence known after entering the game just after we conceded. It was disappointing to see Grueso limp off the pitch, his runs on the right were a constant threat and that forced sub deprived us of some sharpness and speed.

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Slap him in the face, please!​

I don't think it's over yet but 12 points with 10 games to go will be very hard. We should not wave the white flag though. Redknapp must instigate the players to channel the disappointment with more determined performances. There is little more we can do now. Oh, besides filing an official complaint to the referee association. I'd personally vouch for a looking glass to be attached - a small token of appreciation for the man who single-handedly murdered our title hopes.
 
African stars finally returning - too late?

Gary Neville
Published at 8:33PM, February 7 2027

Last time I wrote I suggested it is vital to keep in touch with City until the African Cup of Nations ends and we return to full strength. We did that, to a partial extent. The away win against the Hammers was immense in that regard. I was afraid we might have to settle for a point there.

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Sir Alex considers playing Fred the Red up front

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You see, this time of the year we are always going to be a little depleted. But now it was a complete massacre. Amadou, Traoré and El Alagui are all on international duty and they are all strikers/wingers. Dylan Connery is out injured. Throw in the untimely sale of Ashby and letting some of our young forwards out on loan and we are amazingly out of a single senior player who can lead the attack! All this could have already cost us the place in top four as we face some serious catch-up now and City must drop points.

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Board deals Fergie a poor hand​

We also have no idea in what condition will the lads return. There have been reports some of them are carrying knocks and might not be in full fitness. The medical crew will need to pull a whole bunch of rabits from thin air and time is scarce. I don't know how we allowed this to happen but another January like this must be avoided at all cost. The board promised serious backing to Sir Alex and instead they go on to sell one of our star players and fail to replace him. I can see Ferguson is fuming about this behind that poker face but the damage has been inflicted. We need to play the cards we've been dealt with and it seems our rivals hold all the aces.
 
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Premier League
Postponed fixtures

Wednesday 10th February 2027:

Tottenham - Newcastle 0-3
Bernal (11), Escudero (69), Bonato (73)
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Chelsea - Manchester City 3-1
Palmer (14), Gutiérrez (69), Murat Erdil (pen 90); Can Özdemir (39)
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Liverpool - Crystal Palace 0-0
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Sheffield Wednesday - Manchester United 0-4
El Alagui (9), Blasi (14, 62), van Dijk (45+1)
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League Table:

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English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Fifth Round

Saturday 13th February 2027

Norwich - Leeds 1-3
Perfect (72); Aspinall (37), Herrera (46, 90+3)
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Liverpool - Bolton 2-1
Mork (57), Hatcher o.g. (70); Speight (9)
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Manchester United - Newcastle 0-2
Dong Dexin (28), Priestley (90)
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Sunday 14th February 2027

Coventry - Chelsea 1-5
Mao (37); Palmer (4), Gutiérrez (10), Viviano (32), Murat Erdil (pen 79, pen 83)
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English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Quarter Final Draw

Leeds - Q.P.R.
Newcastle - Cardiff
Chelsea - Tottenham/Everton
Liverpool - Crystal Palace/West Ham​
 

Newcastle cut the gap to just three points - one win away from the top!

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Rob Lee
Published at 9:56PM, February 17 2027

Newcastle won their midweek endeavor against rich boys Queens Park Rangers in style to cut the difference at the top to just three points. We also have a game in hand and a much superior goal difference than Rovers so a win there will guarantee us a return to where we rightfully belong. A forgotten hero rose from the shadow of Jim Priestley to steal the glory tonight. Legendary Finnish striker Mikael Lampi bagged a hat-trick after an early Bonato goal and appeared likely to add to his tally before Hristov decided to take him off the pitch. Hristov explained his decision with the need to keep him fresh for the forthcoming Capital One Cup final against Oxford. With Priestley playing the entire game it seems he will have to start that one from the bench.

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Wembley next - another trophy on the cards​

We took full advantage of Blackburn playing in Europe tonight. This means they will be unable to recover their lead and with our next game scheduled for an earlier kick-off than theirs we have a great chance of overcoming them at least temporarily to throw additional pressure on their shoulders. If the status quo remains the same after that round, we meet them at home the next one in a what promises to be the game of the season.

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Leeds out of the title race​

Another good result for us tonight came with the final whistle at Anfield where Liverpool made a brilliant comeback against Leeds United to end their title aspirations. Leeds were on an impressive run before nosediving just recently to fall behind for the deciding part of the season. It's just between us and Rovers now - and let's be honest, such culmination of the season was always on the cards with the two teams proving time after time they are the most worthy candidates for glory.
 
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PUBLISHED: 22:55 GMT, 17 February 2027 | UPDATED: 22:57 GMT, 17 February 2027

Massive win over title contenders proves we are on the right path

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Manager Míchel refused to discuss our top four chances after a big result against Leeds tonight. I enjoyed that press conference, it said all the right things about the direction we are heading without spelling them out. It is important to read those things in context, something more and more people forget in this era of unlimited information. So what did Míchel say?

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Míchel uses media for man management​

He openly denied we are in a fight for fourth place, claiming we are approaching the final ten games of the season as a good chance to maintain team spirit, develop bonds within the squad and improve tactical fluidity. Otherwise said, preparing for next season. But in the meantime he also spoke about outplaying a certain top four team and looked in perspective to point out how much our game has improved in recent weeks. That is a rather delicate way of instilling belief in your players that they are good enough to challenge the big guns in the run-in while avoiding the pressure of expectations.

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Extreme motivation at this stage could do miracles​

And rightly so! We don't need Champions League at all cost, if we don't make it it wouldn't be a tragedy. It would be a big fat bonus but that's it. Next season will be about results, this one should be just fine with Europa League. Nothing wrong with testing the team though. If tonight's game is to serve as an indicator, they might be up for a surprise or two before the season ends.
 
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Mark Lawrenson Capital One Cup Final preview

21 February 2027

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It is little surprise Capital One Cup holders Newcastle have booked a place in yet another final of the competition, although the same cannot be said about their opponents today. Oxford United proved the real deal by going to Old Trafford after losing the first semi final leg 0-1 to triumph emphatically 4-2 in the end. Despite pundits and bookmakers alike expecting this to be a one sided affair Newcastle might be punished if they afford to underestimate the opposition. It is worth nothing the Magpies have won 15 and lost just one of their 16 meetings with Oxford so far.

Team news:
Oxford - None
Newcastle - Mickaël van der Vaart (sprained ankle)
Weather report:
Dry, 11°C

We will be with you at Wembley after a quick commercial break!

 
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Mark Lawrenson Capital One Cup Final watch

21 February 2027

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23' Goal!! 0-1 Mikael Lampi
34' Goal!! 0-2 Mikael Lampi
40' Goal!! 0-3 Pape Diédhiou
42' Goal!! 0-4 Mikael Lampi
45+1' Half Time
71' Goal!! 0-5 Radek Pilar
90' Goal!! 0-6 Mikael Lampi
90+2' Full Time

FINAL SCORE: Oxford United 0-6 Newcastle United

Sadly for the neutral viewers and especially the Oxford fans this was never a contest. Newcastle showed mercurial form and completely erased everything on their way to defending the trophy. Man of the match Mikael Lampi put a performance of another planet - he has scored seven goals in the last two games for Newcastle! Oxford will want to forget the scoreline but coming to Wembley is a remarkable achievement on its own and fans will remember this campaign for years to come. Newcastle will certainly throw celebrations with completing a glorious quadruple of trophies this season by adding the Capital One Cup to the English Community Shield, the European Super Cup and the Club World Championship - and they could add further glory! Now let's take a look at match stats and individual performances:

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Capital One Cup 2026/27 - holders Newcastle!​
 
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