Newcastle revel in ‘strange smell’ of success after League Cup glory

Eddie Howe hailed Newcastle’s “incredible” League Cup final victory against Liverpool as proof his side are ready for a period of sustained success after finally ending their 56-year trophy drought.

Newcastle produced a superb display to beat Premier League leaders Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday, securing the Magpies’ first major prize since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

After celebrating with 32,000 jubilant Newcastle fans packed into one half of Wembley, Howe and his players kept the party going in the dressing room.

The euphoric celebrations included dousing Howe with champagne and beer as the magnitude of delivering Newcastle’s first significant domestic prize since the 1955 FA Cup started to sink in.

For a composed, erudite figure like Howe to arrive at his post-match press conference still soaked and reeking of alcohol underlined just how much Newcastle were letting themselves go after one of the greatest days in the history of a proud but so often underachieving club.

“If you can smell a strange smell that’s me. I was drenched in alcohol by Joelinton and some of the others!” Howe said.

“There has to be a celebration. I will certainly be encouraging it. That’s not usual for me.

“I urge everyone to enjoy it. We’ve had some people who have worked for this club for a long time and it’s great to see them so happy.

“That is what is all about, you have so many difficult days in football and this club has had its share.”

Aside from a brief period when Kevin Keegan’s self-styled “entertainers” challenged for the title in the 1990s, Newcastle have suffered decades of self-inflicted wounds that rendered them a laughing stock.

All that changed in 2021 when a Saudi-backed consortium completed a takeover from unpopular owner Mike