Not just Burn: 10/10 Newcastle ace had his "greatest game in black & white"

Newcastle United supporters would have been dreaming of their side lifting the EFL Cup come the end of a long, drawn-out final at Wembley, hopeful that Arne Slot’s Liverpool would have an off-day when it mattered most.

All of those dreams became a jubilant reality come full-time as, despite Federico Chiesa beating Nick Pope late on, the Magpies would finish the nail-biting match as 2-1 victors, bringing their long domestic trophy drought of 70 years to an unbelievable end.

Alexander Isak would ultimately score the winning goal but a word too for a Mr Dan Burn who would rightly lap up all of the plaudits come the full-time whistle.

It was his thunderous header that got Eddie Howe’s men up and running in the English capital, resulting in the towering centre-back lifting his team’s newly won honours with a beaming smile.

Dan Burn’s performance in numbers

It has been a whirlwind few days for the Blyth-born colossus, with Burn receiving a first-ever England call-up by Thomas Tuchel a matter of days before this showdown versus Liverpool.

He didn’t look fazed by the big occasion whatsoever, especially when the 32-year-old powered home this header past Reds goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher just on the stroke of half-time.

Alexander Isak would then gift the Toon a two-goal cushion but Burn was imperious throughout away from his golden opener, with the Magpies number 33 winning seven duels besides from guiding that effort past Kelleher, on top of making 11 clearances to keep Liverpool at bay.

Also chipping in with two key passes, Burn was a calm man mountain across the exhilarating 90 minutes.

That said, one of his teammates put in an even more stunning display which could be regarded as one of his best ever donning Toon black and white.

10/10 Newcastle star was even better than Burn

Whilst Newcastle have splashed the cash on the likes of Isak and Co and they have been instant success stories, not everyone in the current first-team fold under Howe have always had it plain sailing on Tyneside.

Indeed, Joelinton had a wobbly introduction to life in England, with the ex-TSG 1899 Hoffenheim star once viewed as a £40m dud when lining up in the striker spot at St James’ Park.

Now, in a more well-suited central midfield role, the Brazilian has become a modern day great at the club, with Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope even heralding his showing against Liverpool as his “greatest game in black & white.”

That’s quite the claim considering Joelinton is now up to 216 games and counting at Newcastle, but his stellar numbers from this famous day out to London do back up Hope’s comments.

Joelinton would tirelessly run himself into the ground for his team’s cause, with nine total duels won beating Burn’s impressive collection, whilst the Brazilian ace would also register two clearances and three tackles to ensure Liverpool never mounted a serious comeback.

Shields Gazette journalist Dominic Scurr would even hand out a flawless 10/10 rating to the South American battler post-match, praising the constant crucial contributions he made, with his display labelled simply as “colossal.”

Visibly emotional at the end when taking in his team’s historic Cup win, Joelinton will hope there are plenty more successful years in the bag for him on Tyneside, with the 28-year-old’s name no doubt etched into his club’s hall-of-fame forever now alongside Burn.

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