English Association Football Manager Eddie Howe has led Newcastle United to their first major trophy in 70 years. On Sunday, Newcastle won 2-1 against Liverpool to finally end their domestic trophy drought.
The Magpies broke the deadlock in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday just before halftime after defender Dan Burn nodded a corner home. Thereafter, Alexander Isak doubled their lead in the 52nd minute, capitalizing on a defensive error that put the game nearly beyond reach for their Merseyside counterpart.
However, Federico Chiesa scored a goal toward the end of the second half, which wasn’t enough to stage a comeback. Following the victory, Eddie Howe said he’s optimistic that the Carabao Cup success will place Newcastle United on the course to win more trophies.
Integral to the victory is Alexander Isak who has been in excellent form. The Swedish forward has scored 50 goals for the Magpies in 77 appearances since his club-record move from Real Sociedad.
In December 2024, Isak won the EPL Player of the Month, highlighting how his red-hot form has kept Newcastle in contention for a place in European football next season. On the flip side, the victory for Newcastle means a lot for Eddie Howe and English football.
How Eddie Howe made records with Carabao Cup victory
For the Amesharm-born tactician, the triumph represents the first time since 2008 that an English manager lifted a major men’s football trophy. Recall that in 2008, Kanu Nwankwo alongside John Utaka was among the Portsmouth team under the guidance of English manager, Harry Redknapp that won the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, the trophy drought underlines the declining number of England managers in the English Premier League (EPL). According to the official website of the domestic top-flight league, only three out of twenty clubs in the EPL are managed by English managers.
This figure places England in the same bracket as Portugal, while Spain has four of its football coaches currently in the EPL. Additionally, the decline of English coaches further underlines why Howard Wilkinson is the last coach from England to win the domestic league, after his successful campaign with Leeds United in the 1991/1992 regular seasons.
However, no English manager has won the league title since the formation of the EPL in 1992.
