There are differing definitions of a trophy drought at these two clubs. It felt like a long time ago that Manchester United were winning this competition and the Europa League under José Mourinho. It was 2017 and the barren years since then had added up to their longest sequence without silverware since the early 1980s.
Newcastle, of course, could see that and reraise it to 54 years – the chasm to their famous Fairs Cup triumph. This final, Newcastle’s first since the FA Cup of 1999 when they took on the same opponents, was all about who could chart fresh territory, who could own the occasion. As in 1999, it was the Reds – and by the same scoreline.
