A word on Kieran Trippier | OneFootball

On the long journey home from London two years ago, reflecting on events of the previous day, I wrote an article for The Mag that was pretty positive, considering Newcastle United had lost a fifth consecutive Wembley Final.

Ten months later, Kieran Trippier lost his footing in the 93rd minute at Stamford Bridge, allowing Mykhaylo Mudryk to hustle an unlikely equaliser in the quarter-final of the same competition. Trips then had the misfortune of missing a spot kick in the shootout and with it, a golden opportunity was missed, Middlesbrough the team that Chelsea swatted aside to make it to Wembley.

It hasn’t been easy for wor Kieran these past few months, stripped of the captaincy and replaced in the starting line-up by Tino Livramento.

The La Liga winner with Atleti heading for the departure lounge, linked with a move to Istanbul, as well as Everton of all places.

Yesterday, Newcastle United faced Liverpool in their second League Cup Final in three years, Kieran Trippier featuring in the starting eleven, perhaps only because of Lewis Hall’s ankle injury.

From the outset, the whole team were on it.

In particular, I thought Trippier was magnificent, especially in that opening half hour when it was so important that Newcastle United didn’t concede, whilst at the same time imposing themselves on their opponent.

There were heroes all over the park, Big Dan Burn with the opening goal, a colossus of a man with one of the best headed goals to have ever graced the National Stadium, maybe even better than Jackie Milburn’s in the 1955 FA Cup Final?

Alex Isak scored the winner, who’d have thought?

Meanwhile, Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes were impervious, patrolling the centre of the park and preventing Liverpool from doing what we know full well what they’re capable of.

Speaking of which, it wasn’t until the 85th minute that I remembered that Mo Salah was actually on the pitch, young Tino not only snuffing out any threat that the Egyptian posed, but also providing the cross that led to Isak’s winner.

On the other flank, Kieran Trippier kept Luis Diaz and when he came on in the 67th minute, Cody Gakpo, very quiet.

On the rare occasions Liverpool got close to our goal, there were United bodies in the way, a last ditch block from Joelinton when Van Dijk had threaded the ball through to Jota the most notable.

Then there was Nick Pope, preferred over Dubravka and sweeping up in a way the Slovakian wouldn’t, before producing a strong hand to deny Curtis Jones. What a save!

I don’t want to dwell on Bruno being dispossessed after a poorly executed spin for Chiesa’s consolation, but the fact that goal was manufactured by two players that didn’t start, showed the gulf in resources between the two sides.

Up until then, it was going so well. Too well perhaps.

So typical of Newcastle United that they had to put their long suffering supporters through the mill right at the end, another three minutes added to the eight that had already been announced because of how long it took VAR to confirm the Italian was onside when he latched onto Elliot’s through ball.

I suspect I wasn’t alone in thinking ‘for goodness sake’ (or words to that effect); hearing that roar from the far end of the stadium for the one and only time was sickening, but despite how excruciating those last few seconds were, the lads saw it out and when John Brooks blew for time, I took a moment.

I also welled up in the watering hole we found near Covent Garden a couple of hours later, the emotion of a long day and an even longer wait for silverware catching up with me.

If I can bring this back to wor Kieran though.