‘Amazed’: Gary Neville says Newcastle have done something he told Jamie Carragher would never happen
Gary Neville has made a startling confession about Newcastle United’s meteoric rise that contradicts his own long-held beliefs about football’s established order.
The former Manchester United defender, renowned for his astute punditry, openly admits he never envisioned Eddie Howe’s side achieving what they have this season – particularly their stunning Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool that shattered decades of frustration.
Newcastle’s 2-1 Wembley victory against Jurgen Klopp’s eventual Premier League champions stands as perhaps the season’s most improbable result when viewed through Neville’s lens.
“I said to [Jamie] Carragher before the game: ‘Virgil van Dijk will lift this trophy, he will 100% lift this trophy’,” Neville revealed during The Overlap Fan Debate.
His certainty reflected the conventional wisdom that had governed English football for years – that newly ambitious clubs couldn’t bridge the gap to established powers so quickly.
Yet Newcastle didn’t just win; they outplayed Liverpool in a manner that left Neville “amazed,” forcing one of football’s most respected voices to reconsider everything he thought he knew about the game’s hierarchy.
The significance of defeating Liverpool elevates this achievement beyond simply ending a 70-year trophy drought. Klopp’s side would lose just three more league matches all season while storming to the title, making Newcastle’s Wembley victory one of only four defeats Liverpool suffered across all competitions in 2024/25.
When contextualized against Liverpool’s subsequent dominance, Newcastle’s triumph transforms from fortunate upset to legitimate giant-killing – proof that Howe has instilled a winning mentality capable of overcoming even the most formidable opponents.
Neville’s astonishment speaks volumes about the scale of Newcastle’s accomplishment. As someone who witnessed Manchester United’s era of dominance firsthand, he understands better than most what separates contenders from champions.
That he considered Newcastle’s victory unthinkable as recently as February makes their subsequent push for second place all the more remarkable.
With two games remaining, the Magpies could secure their highest Premier League finish since 1997 while guaranteeing Champions League football – achievements that would have seemed fanciful during Mike Ashley’s tenure.
What makes Newcastle’s season truly extraordinary is how they’ve defied football’s traditional timelines. Most club takeovers require years before translating financial investment into tangible success, yet Newcastle have compressed this process into barely three seasons.
Their Carabao Cup victory wasn’t a fluke but the culmination of strategic planning, smart recruitment, and Howe’s ability to maximize every resource at his disposal.
When Neville told Carragher Liverpool were certain winners, he was articulating the ingrained skepticism that greets football’s nouveau riche – skepticism Newcastle have systematically dismantled through performances rather than promises.
As the season reaches its climax, Neville’s words serve as both validation and challenge for Newcastle. Validation that their achievements have forced even the staunchest traditionalists to take notice; challenge to prove this season represents a foundation rather than a peak.
Whether securing second place or preparing for Champions League nights at a revamped St James’ Park, Newcastle have already accomplished what Neville believed impossible – and in doing so, have rewritten the rules of what ambitious clubs can achieve in modern football.