The result could hardly have been considered a surprise and the early tactics even less so.
Newcastle supporters had dreamt of a first piece of silverware of any kind since 1969 last night, but the reality as so many have found before them is that quite often you have to get to a final at least once before you actually win one.
But regardless of their hugely decorated past, Manchester United themselves were without a major pot for six seasons and needed a Carabao Cup triumph today to get a new era under Erik ten Hag officially underway.
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Cash-rich Newcastle have made more progress than most this season but have hit the buffers recently, with one eye on this much-yearned for Wembley appearance. But their preparations took a serious blow against Liverpool a week ago when Nick Pope inexplicably forgot that a goalkeeper cannot handle a football outside his penalty area without critical consequences.
That the Reds would have any influence over a cup final that they weren't even competing in was bizarre enough, but the Merseyside links don't end there. Pope's suspension and cup-tied Martin Dubravka's ineligibility produced a plot twist no one could have seen coming, as Loris Karius - the former Liverpool goalkeeper - found himself promoted to Eddie Howe's starting line-up as a consequence.
The German has barely been seen since his two mega-gaffs in Kiev contributed significantly to Liverpool losing the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid. Offered a short-term contract by the Magpies until the end of the season, Sunday's Wembley final was his first for a Premier League club since that fateful performance for Jurgen Klopp's team in Kiev five years ago that still haunts many a Kopite to this day.
With no first-team action all season, Karius could be forgiven for being a little rusty, but just how rusty was laid bare in an amateur video shot from behind his goal during the pre-match warm-up. Footage that made its way onto social media shows Karius spilling a succession of seemingly straight-forward practice shots that are unlikely to have evoked much confidence in his Newcastle teammates.
And like any savvy football team would, Ten Hag's outfit quickly set about capitalising on their opponent's easily identifiable vulnerability.
"It's obvious what they're trying to do," said Sky Sports' co-commentator Gary Neville, as the Manchester United players crowded around the Newcastle goalkeeper from an early corner.
The Red Devils were already in the ascendancy when Casemiro headed them into a 33rd-minute lead, but it was Karius who was put back under scrutiny six minutes later when Marcus Rashford's shot was deflected off Sven Botman's boot over the hands of the Magpies goalkeeper.
Sky co-commentator Jamie Carragher insisted that it was a save that Karius should have made, but you would have to be pretty cold-hearted to accuse the underused goalie of making an error when trying to deal with the initial shot.
Despite those early challenges, the one-time Liverpool star did redeem himself throughout the match with a couple of decent saves, including one late on to deny Bruno Fernandes, but by then the damage was done and Ten Hag's clear strategy has been rewarded in his first season with a major trophy.
How much United's own supporters will put on the triumph is a question of perception. Liverpool have won this particular cup a record nine times, but fans of their East Lancs rivals have historically referred to the League Cup as a 'Micky Mouse trophy' after many of those Merseyside triumphs. You wonder if that is still the case now they have won it themselves?
Either way, it is Manchester United, who will finish this season with silverware while Liverpool will almost certainly not. Ten Hag's players have got to grips with the Dutchman's ideas and methods, while bad eggs like a former Ballon d'Or winner, who was once adored by the Stretford End, have been moved on.
It'll feel familiar for Reds fans who saw Klopp do similar as he took his team to two finals - both losing efforts - in 2016 as he earned plaudits for the way he reshaped his under-achieving squad and dealt with players such as Mamadou Sakho.
And while you will struggle to find any Liverpool supporter in a hurry to offer too many words of praise for their fiercest rivals in the wake of a match that sees a major trophy passed from Merseyside to Manchester, but a resolute defence is most certainly a takeaway that should be digested on the quiet while the new-holders celebrate this evening.
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