Liverpool fans will be up in arms over ‘dangerous’ first-half incident in Carabao Cup final | OneFootball

The first half of the 2025 Carabao Cup final has had a few feisty moments and one dangerous foul which has no place on a football pitch.

Newcastle went in at half-time with a deserved lead thanks to Dan Burn’s goal shortly before the interval as the giant defender – who seemed to collide with Mo Salah in the first few minutes – took advantage of woeful Liverpool defending to score from a set piece.

Earlier in the first half, there was another moment which would’ve enraged Reds fans for an altogether different reason.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Trippier criticised for ‘dangerous’ foul on Diaz

Around the half-hour mark, Kieran Trippier conceded a free kick after he collided with Luis Diaz when the Liverpool forward was off the ground, although John Brooks mysteriously stopped short of reaching for a yellow card.

James Pearce was far from impressed with the incident, with The Athletic reporter posting on X: “Dangerous from Trippier on Diaz. No chance of winning that ball. Somehow no card.”

Trippier very lucky to avoid a booking for foul on Diaz

The Newcastle right-back is very much enjoying the rub of the green from the officials in today’s Carabao Cup final, having later survived a VAR check for a potential penalty for handball when replays showed that he could justifiably have been penalised.

Whatever about that decision, how he escaped without a booking for his foul on Diaz is utterly baffling. The Colombian landed awkwardly after being taken out in the air, and such collisions can really hurt the player who’s on the wrong end of them.

Thankfully our number 7 picked himself up and carried on, but Pearce was right to be apoplectic over that naughty nudge by Trippier, who knew exactly what he was doing and should know better than to endanger an opponent in such snide fashion.

Only Brooks can explain why he didn’t reach for a yellow card in that instance, but unfortunately Liverpool need to suck up the decision and improve their performance if (at the time of writing) they’re to avoid defeat in the Carabao Cup final.