Carabao Cup

NEWCASTLE wag Diletta Leotta was left stunned after witnessing the thousands of Toon fans at Trafalgar Square.Loris Karius’ girlfriend has jetted into London for the Carabao Cup final tomorrow.
Diletta Leotta looked stunned seeing the thousands of Newcastle fansCredit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta
Her partner Loris Karius is set to start in goal for ToonCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
Dieletta appears to be covering the Carabao Cup final for DAZNCredit: Getty
The Toon army has packed out Trafalgar Square ahead of the finalCredit: Alamy
Fans have travelled in their thousands to the capitalCredit: PA
Newcastle are in their first major final for 24 yearsCredit: Alamy
Eddie Howe’s side take on Manchester United at WembleyCredit: PA
One Magpie even climbed into a fountain

And she went sightseeing today, taking in the London Eye and St. Paul’s Cathedral before the biggest spectacle of all – thousands of raucous Newcastle fans.
Diletta drove past the army of supporters in a black cab and her face was a picture of shock.
Newcastle have not reached a major final for 24 years and fans have made the most of their trip to Wembley, including Premier League referee Michael Oliver.
He was spotted at a packed-out Trafalgar Square ahead of the big day.
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Some fans even jumped into the fountain, with one stripping down to his boxer shorts as he was egged on by his fellow Mags.
Football presenter Diletta, 31, appears to be covering the game for DAZN but she will no doubt be cheering on partner Karius in what will be his Newcastle debut.
The German, 29, has not played a competitive game for two years but is set to start in place of the suspended Nick Pope and cup-tied Martin Dubravka.
But Magpies boss Eddie Howe is confident the keeper can deliver and use the final as an opportunity to resurrect his career.
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He said: “It would be a magnificent chance for him to rewrite the story of his career. There’s been loads of stories through the times in football where these things have happened and there’s been a really positive outcome – or not.
“As soon as it happened (Pope’s red card) there was a feeling of whether there was another page in Karius’ career to write. Who knows what that chapter will look like?
“That’s the beauty of football. We never know what is going to happen. This unpredictability is what makes it such an amazing thing to watch.” More

NEWCASTLE have been utterly starved of silverware in recent decades.You have to go back a staggering 68 years since the Toon’s last domestic trophy.
Captain Jimmy Scoular lifted the trophy as Newcastle won the 1955 FA CupCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Newcastle legend Jackie Milburn was in the XI the last time the Toon won a domestic trophyCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
The Queen presented Newcastle with their FA Cup trophy following their third win of the 1950sCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
For nearly seven decades, Newcastle have tried and failed to lift a trophy on the hallowed Wembley turf.
The Magpies reached back-to-back FA Cup finals in 1998 and 1999 – but lost out on both occasions.
Now, Eddie Howe aims to guide Newcastle to glory on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United.
And for a huge portion of the Toon faithful, it will be the first time they’ll have seen their club lift a domestic trophy in their life.
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Newcastle won three FA Cups in the 1950s – with their most-recent coming in the 1954-55 season.
That year a legendary XI including Jackie Milburn beat Manchester City 3-1 to lift the famous trophy.
The Toon beat a star-studded City team, featuring the likes of Don Revie and Bert Trautmann.
Milburn kicked the game off with a bang in front of the 100,000-strong crowd at Wembley, scoring after just 45 SECONDS.
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How Newcastle lined up for their last Wembley final appearance in the FA Cup clash against Man City in 1955
That was the fastest goal in FA Cup final history until Roberto Di Matteo’s strike for Chelsea after just 42 seconds of their win over Middlesbrough in 1997.
But Newcastle – managed by Doug Livingstone – boasted a lethal front five for the game in North London.
Club legend Milburn was joined by George Hannah, Vic Keeble, Len White and Bobby Mitchell in attack.
Captain Jimmy Scoular started the game at what was then called “wing half” – essentially a defensive central midfielder – alongside Tommy Casey.
Ronnie Simpson started in goal, with Bobby Cowell, Ron Batty and Bob Stokoe in defence.
Newcastle fans will be hoping the likes of Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Kieran Trippier, Allan Saint-Maximin and Bruno Guimaraes can write their names in Toon folklore come Sunday. More

MANCHESTER UNITED look to end their six-year trophy drought on Sunday when they take on Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.Sorry Red Devils fans, The Match Bangkok Century Cup doesn’t count.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic lined up for Man Utd in their most-recent cup final at Wembley, under Jose Mourinho, but who else made the XI?Credit: Reuters
United have been chasing the return of the glory days ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
In the past decade they’ve watched noisy neighbours Manchester City and arch-rivals Liverpool win the league.. as well as Chelsea and Leicester.
And while their long wait for a Premier League title rages on, fans will simply be content with watching club captain Harry Maguire lifting a trophy.
The signs this season under Erik ten Hag have been encouraging.
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United finally look like they’ve got a boss for the future after the collective failings of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
United briefly showed a killer instinct in the first half of 2017 after getting their hands on the League Cup and Europa League title.
But since then, they’ve failed to reach a single final.
In fact, the last time a United player strolled out on the Wembley turf for a cup showpiece was six years ago to the day, come Sunday.
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That came in the League Cup win over Southampton.
United stormed to a 2-0 lead before Saints clawed their way back to 2-2 within a three minute period either side of half-time.
It took an 87th-minute winner to see the Red Devils hold the trophy aloft.
But who started for Mourinho’s Man Utd that day?
How Man Utd lined up for their last Wembley cup final win
Man Utd won the 2016-17 League Cup – still their most-recent trip to WembleyCredit: AFP or licensors
Just TWO current players remain, with David De Gea between the sticks and Anthony Martial starting on the left wing.
Eric Bailly also started in the heart of defence, with the Ivorian away from the club – at Marseille on loan – in 2022-23.
Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo took the full-back spots for the final, with Chris Smalling completing the defence.
Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera sat in the deeper two midfield spots behind Juan Mata.
Jesse Lingard began the match at left wing with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line.
Ibrahimovic gave United a 19th-minute lead, before Lingard doubled that shortly before the break.
Manolo Gabbiadini pulled on back in added time of the first-half, before grabbing an all-important second after the break.
Mourinho introduced Michael Carrick for Mata at half time to shore up the midfield, only to be left scratching his head after Gabbiadini’s leveller.
Scrambling for a winner, Marcus Rashford was introduced for Lingard with 15 minutes to play.
But it was Ibrahimovic, with his second of the game, scoring with just three minutes left on the clock to snatch the win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a last-gasp winner for Man Utd against SouthamptonCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Marouane Fellaini replaced Martial in added time to add an aerial presence as James Ward-Prowse and Co pumped crosses into the box.
But United held on, with Wayne Rooney among the unused subs.
Sergio Romero, Daley Blind and Ashley Young also failed to come off the bench in the win.
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Can Ten Hag repeat the feat six years on to the day, this time against Newcastle?
With Rashford, on the bench that day in 2017, in red-hot form, they go into the game as favourites. More