Newcastle United celebrated ending a 70-year trophy drought in spectacular fashion, with the help of local celebrities Ant and Dec.
Famous Newcastle natives, Ant and Dec, were at the forefront of the jubilant scenes as huge crowds of Newcastle fans filled the streets for a victory parade. The parade celebrated the team`s recent Carabao Cup win.
Eddie Howe`s team secured their first major trophy since 1955 by defeating Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak sealed a 2-1 victory, ending Newcastle`s long wait for silverware.
Following the match, celebrations erupted in both London and Newcastle.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of fans attended a massive bus parade to continue the celebration.
TV personalities Ant and Dec, known for their emotional reactions during Newcastle games, were again visibly moved as they joined the parade.
They had prominent positions on two open-top buses, celebrating alongside the players.
Ant exclaimed, seeing the huge crowds, “Look at that! This is absolutely brilliant chaos!”
He added, “We`ve got flares at the back of the bus!”
Turning to Dec, Ant asked, “The big question is, are we going to cry like we did at Wembley when they won?”
Both responded in unison, “Probably!”
A large banner of manager Howe was unveiled outside St James` Park just before the buses started their route.
Fans set off flares and waved flags, chanting “Shearer, Shearer!” near the stadium.
Before the parade, fans watching a replay of the final match were entertained.
Newcastle players addressed the cheering supporters from a stage after the bus parade concluded its one-mile journey.
Ant and Dec interviewed players who were clearly touched by the immense support.
Jacob Murphy expressed his amazement, “It’s unbelievable. Oh my God! There are not too many words to describe this. It’s amazing!”
Manager Howe added, “Wow. This is just incredible. There`s people hanging from lamp posts and standing on bus stops. But we knew the people of Newcastle would come out and support us. Thanks to you both [Ant and Dec] for being a part of it, too.”
Ant joked, “I feel like a competition winner!”
Howe reflected on the long wait for a trophy, “Part of your brain hopes that one day you might win something, but at the time we were in a relegation battle. This is beyond what we thought we could do. There is no other city like this one for football.”
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer became emotional as he spoke to the crowd.
Shearer, paying tribute to his father Alan, who passed away at 80 the previous year, teared up, saying, “Yeah, unfortunately, my dad passed away last May. He was lucky enough to be at the final in '69. I just wish he could have hung on for one more year just to see and sample this. But he would have been watching on and would’ve been as proud as I was.”
Newcastle players were in a celebratory mood and teased their rivals Sunderland.
Bruno Guimaraes led fans in a chant about teammate Sandro Tonali, with an explicit line about disliking Sunderland.
Bruno sang the chant into the microphone, as his teammates laughed and celebrated behind him.
Bruno described the Carabao Cup victory as one of the “best days” of his life, saying tearfully, “I wanted to put my name in the club`s history. We can now say we are the champions again. It is one of the best days of my life. I don`t have any words. They [the fans] deserve it. People have grown up and not seen Newcastle as champions, I am so happy. This is one of the best days. We deserve this. It is unbelievable. This is my second home. Relegation, Champions League and now champions. I am so emotional today.”
