Eddie Howe’s thoughts turned to his late mother and his sons as Newcastle ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy with Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool.
Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak at Wembley secured a 2-1 win, despite substitute Federico Chiesa’s late strike, and established head coach Howe as the first English manager to win one of the nation’s big men’s football prizes since Harry Redknapp in 2008.
Asked what his emotions were as he celebrated with his players on the pitch after the final whistle, the 47-year-old said: “Naturally you end up thinking of the players, the staff, but also the people who aren’t with you – like for me, my mum, family members.
“You go to them and just think of all the sacrifices, hard work that they gave you as a child to give you the opportunity to have a good life, really.
“You think you’re getting help from above and you get support. I’ve just always had the thought I want to try to make my family proud, and now of course I have three boys and I want to try to make them proud too.”
Howe apologised as he arrived for his post-match press conference for the smell after he had been doused in celebratory champagne by his players, with midfielder Joelinton the ringleader.
He said: “[It’s] a great moment and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about embracing the success.
“You have so many difficult days in football – and this club has had its fair share over the years – so just try to enjoy the moment and take it all in.”
Newcastle’s most recent trophy, the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, was secured in 1969 and a wait which might have ended in the Carabao Cup final two years ago only for Manchester United to spoil the party represents a significant step in the club’s resurgence under its Saudi-backed owners.
Howe said: “It’s really important. Hopefully one can become more – there’s no guarantee, though – but I just think it proves we can do it.
“I’ve never had any doubts about our ability to lift our game but you don’t get many shots at this, you don’t get many shots at a cup final, and today we had to try to take our opportunity. That’s where the players delivered under pressure so well and so impressively.
“It also proved that we can mix our game against the very, very best. Now the challenge for us is to try to get there more often, as in lifting our game like we did today.”
On an afternoon of high emotion for the 32,000 black and whites packed into Wembley, it was perhaps fitting that local boy Burn set the ball rolling with a stunning long-range header – the Magpies’ first at Wembley since Rob Lee scored in an FA Cup semi-final 25 years ago – just days after earning a first senior England call-up.
Howe said: “We’ve been working on those corners tirelessly for two weeks. We’ve had mixed success – I can be honest – in training and he’s delivered one, from long range as well.
“I thought it was an incredible header, and so fitting that it’s him that scored that goal. It’s been a long wait for even a goal at Wembley, a brilliant moment.”
