In March 2025, a 65-year-old Newcastle fan named Brian Ramshaw stood in a Tyneside fanzone and watched his club beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to win the EFL Cup. After the final whistle, through tears, he said: “We have always been the bridesmaid, never the bride… but not today.”
That moment — emotional, long-overdue, and happening against Liverpool of all clubs — tells you something important about this fixture. Newcastle vs Liverpool has never just been about football. It has been about identity, ambition, heartbreak, and the occasional moments of pure, unforgettable drama.
This is the full story.
How It All Started: The Early Years (1893–1992)
Newcastle United and Liverpool have been meeting on a football pitch for over 130 years. Their first recorded clash came in 1893, a Division Two match that Liverpool won 5-1. From that early result, a pattern formed: Liverpool, over the long run, would hold the upper hand.
Through the early decades of English football, both clubs experienced periods of domestic glory. Liverpool built one of the most successful club histories in English football, collecting league titles at a rate few clubs could match. Newcastle’s golden era came earlier — their four league titles all arrived in the first three decades of the 20th century. By the time the modern era arrived, the two clubs were in different parts of their cycles.
Between their early meetings and the start of the Premier League, the fixture was regular but rarely the defining event it would later become.
The Premier League Era Begins (1993–1998)
Newcastle were promoted to the newly formed Premier League for the 1993–94 season under Kevin Keegan. That first season back in the top flight gave an early signal of what was coming: Newcastle’s biggest win over Liverpool in the modern era came on 21 November 1993, a 3-0 Premier League victory.
For the next few seasons, both clubs were genuine title challengers. Liverpool was still well-resourced and ambitious. Newcastle, under Keegan’s high-energy attacking style, were becoming something the Premier League had not seen before: a genuine threat built on flair, speed, and crowd noise.
By the start of the 1995–96 season, the stage was set for the most famous chapter in this fixture’s history.
The Match That Defined Everything: 3 April 1996
On 3 April 1996, Liverpool hosted Newcastle at Anfield in what became one of the most famous games in English football history. Liverpool won the match 4-3, with Stan Collymore scoring a dramatic stoppage-time winner.
To understand why this result still matters, you need to know the context. Newcastle had held a 12-point lead over Manchester United earlier that January, but had been losing ground for weeks before this fixture.
The match itself was extraordinary. Robbie Fowler scored first for Liverpool, before Les Ferdinand equalised and David Ginola put Newcastle ahead. Fowler levelled again, Faustino Asprilla restored Newcastle’s lead, and Collymore equalised before scoring the winner deep in stoppage time.
In 2003, the game was awarded the Match of the Decade award by the Premier League, celebrating its tenth anniversary. Kevin Keegan called it a “classic.” The result effectively ended Newcastle’s title charge — they finished second to Manchester United.
The Repeat: 10 March 1997
Remarkably, the teams met at Anfield again the following season and produced an almost identical result. On 10 March 1997, Liverpool again triumphed 4-3, with Robbie Fowler scoring twice — including the decisive headed winner in the 90th minute. Two successive 4-3 thrillers at Anfield cemented this fixture’s reputation for drama and goals.
The H2H Record: Who Actually Leads?
Before going further, here are the headline numbers.
In 192 meetings across all competitions, Newcastle have won 51 times, the teams have drawn 45 times, and Liverpool have won 96 times.
In Premier League matches, Liverpool have consistently dominated, averaging over two points per game across the era, while Newcastle’s return has been closer to one.
Recent form (Premier League and cup):
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 2026 | Liverpool 4-1 Newcastle | Premier League |
| 25 Aug 2025 | Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool | Premier League |
| 26 Feb 2025 | Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle | Premier League |
| 16 Mar 2025 | Newcastle 2-1 Liverpool | EFL Cup Final |
| 4 Dec 2024 | Newcastle 3-3 Liverpool | Premier League |
| 1 Jan 2024 | Liverpool 4-2 Newcastle | Premier League |
| 27 Aug 2023 | Newcastle 1-2 Liverpool | Premier League |
The overall picture is clear: Liverpool has dominated this fixture across every era. But Newcastle’s ability to compete — and their 2025 cup win — shows the gap has narrowed.
The Middle Decades: Power Shifts and Struggles (1998–2021)
After the Keegan years, both clubs went through significant changes. Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005 and remained a consistent top-four contender. Newcastle cycled through managers, nearly went bankrupt, suffered two relegations (2009 and 2016), and spent years drifting between mid-table stability and brief bursts of ambition.
During this period, the fixture still produced occasional fireworks — but the competitive balance was gone. Newcastle’s heaviest defeat in this fixture came on 27 April 2013: a humbling 6-0 loss at St James’ Park, on their own turf. That scoreline reflected just how far apart the clubs had become.
Newcastle’s last Premier League win at Anfield came under Kevin Keegan in April 1994, and their last win at Anfield in any competition was a 1-0 EFL Cup success in November 1995. That’s a telling statistic — over 30 years without winning on Liverpool’s ground.
The Player Crossovers: Where Loyalties Blurred
One of the most interesting threads running through this fixture is the number of players who represented both clubs.
- Peter Beardsley is the clearest example. A Newcastle fan’s idol, he played for both clubs and was on the pitch during the famous 1996 4-3. His identity was tied to Tyneside, but his career ran through both clubs.
- Michael Owen is the standout statistical story. Among all documented scorers in this fixture, Owen is by far the most prolific, having netted 14 goals in matches between his two former clubs. He moved from Liverpool to Real Madrid, then briefly to Newcastle, then to Manchester United — scoring goals in every era of this fixture.
- Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll are others who made the journey — Carroll memorably sold to Liverpool in January 2011 for a then-British record fee of £35 million, though his time at Anfield was one of football’s more frustrating transfer stories.
The Saudi Era and a New Chapter (2021–Present)
In October 2021, the Saudi Public Investment Fund completed a takeover of Newcastle United. The arrival of serious financial backing for the first time in the club’s history changed expectations instantly.
Results didn’t transform overnight. The 2022-23 season saw Newcastle qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2003. They began assembling a squad capable of competing at the top level — Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimarães, Tino Livramento, and Sandro Tonali among the key figures.
Their Premier League record against Liverpool improved noticeably. A 3-3 draw at St James’ Park in December 2024 was a sign of Newcastle’s renewed capacity to match Liverpool. And then came Wembley.
The 2025 EFL Cup Final: 70 Years of Waiting Ends
16 March 2025. Wembley Stadium. Attendance: 88,513.
Newcastle United won the EFL Cup final 2-1 against Liverpool to secure their first EFL Cup title — and their first major domestic trophy since the 1954-55 FA Cup.
Dan Burn gave Newcastle a lead they deserved just before half-time, heading in a Kieran Trippier corner. Alexander Isak doubled the lead seven minutes after the break, sweeping a shot past Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher. Federico Chiesa reduced the deficit deep in stoppage time for Liverpool — a goal initially ruled offside but awarded following a VAR review — but Newcastle held on.
The tactics told the story. Newcastle pressed Liverpool’s build aggressively from their 4-3-3 shape, almost totally nullifying Liverpool in the first half. Arne Slot’s side, dealing with the fallout of a midweek Champions League exit to PSG on penalties, never found its rhythm — Liverpool managed just a single shot in the opening 45 minutes.
It was Newcastle’s first victory at Wembley since the 1955 FA Cup final — ending a run of nine successive losses at the national stadium.
Eddie Howe became the first English manager to win a major domestic trophy since Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth in 2008. Bruno Guimarães, Newcastle’s captain, was in tears at the final whistle.
The Landscape Shifts: Summer 2025
The celebrations had barely faded when the summer brought its own drama. In September 2025, Alexander Isak left Newcastle for Liverpool in a British record transfer, a deal worth £125 million. The player who had been central to Newcastle’s EFL Cup triumph moved to the club they had beaten to win it. For Newcastle supporters, the departure stung. For Liverpool, it was a statement signing.
Newcastle moved quickly in the market, signing Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for £69 million to replace Isak’s goals. The squad was rebuilt, but the loss of their most important attacking player was impossible to mask entirely.
Back to Business: Liverpool 4-1 Newcastle, January 2026
Three months after the summer window closed, the sides met again in the Premier League at Anfield. Liverpool needed the result; Newcastle were struggling with their away form.
Hugo Ekitike — who had been Newcastle’s primary summer transfer target before Liverpool pulled off the Isak signing — scored twice in the first half. The France international took his league tally to 15 goals for the season as Liverpool came from behind to win 4-1. Florian Wirtz added a third, and an emotional Ibrahima Konaté scored a late fourth on his return to the starting lineup following the death of his father.
Anthony Gordon had given Newcastle the lead and the opening exchanges resembled the chaos of the famous 1990s encounters — but Liverpool’s quality showed in the second half. The result moved Liverpool back up the table. Newcastle dropped to 10th.
What the Numbers Tell You — and What They Don’t
Liverpool’s dominance in this fixture is not really in question. Winning 96 of 192 meetings, holding the record for the biggest win (6-0, inflicted on Newcastle at their own St James’ Park) — the statistics are clear.
But statistics don’t capture what this rivalry feels like. They don’t explain why a fan in Tyneside broke down crying at a fanzone in March 2025. They don’t account for the two 4-3 matches that are still considered among the best games the Premier League has ever produced. They don’t cover the tens of thousands of Newcastle fans who made Wembley black and white that Sunday afternoon.
The imbalance in silverware and results is real. But the emotional intensity of this fixture has rarely matched what the win-loss record suggests.
Where This Fixture Goes From Here
Liverpool, under Arne Slot, remains one of Europe’s strongest clubs. Their summer 2025 transfer window brought in Alexander Isak — evidence of continued investment and ambition. Ekitike and Wirtz have added further depth.
Newcastle, backed by the Saudi PIF, is building in a different direction: squad depth, an English core, and a manager in Eddie Howe who has already shown he can win trophies. The 2025 EFL Cup was a proof of concept. The question now is whether they can sustain the challenge across a full Premier League season — and rebuild the firepower they lost when Isak crossed the divide.
For the first time since the Keegan era, there is a genuine sense that when these two clubs meet, both sides believe they can win. That change in dynamic — more than any individual result — is what makes the next chapter of this timeline worth following closely.
