Liverpool supporter backlash after £30 'Newcastle United Carabao Cup final shirt' spotted on official website

A £30 ‘half-and-half’ souvenir t-shirt was spotted on the Liverpool official website over the weekend. The t-shirt included both Liverpool and Newcastle badges and club colours along with the message: “League Cup Final 2025, Liverpool Football Club v Newcastle United, Sunday 16th March 2025.”

The shirt was met with a significant backlash from Liverpool supporters online and has subsequently been removed from the official club store. The similarity to unofficial ‘half-and-half’ scarves sold outside most Premier League grounds also didn’t sit well with supporters, who branded the club ‘out-of-touch’.

The basic design was criticised as it was simply printed on a grey t-shirt. Now the web page that previously displayed the shirt is unavailable. Instead, a message is displayed reading ‘near miss’ - you can say that again.

Newcastle United release a Carabao Cup final shirt

Newcastle have also announced a line of Carabao Cup final merchandise ahead of the final.

A ‘Newcastle United Special Edition, Carabao Cup Final’ range went on sale on Friday, February 14. The range includes a version of the Adidas 2024-25 home shirt with a Carabao Cup logo on the sleeve and lettering on the torso.

The shirt will be a replica of the ones worn by Newcastle players when they appear at Wembley Stadium on March 16. A special edition black pre-match shirt will also go on sale from Friday including the cup final date, fixture and lettering.

The range is now on sale at the Newcastle United Official Club stores at St James’ Park, Metrocentre and Fenwick as well as online.

A divisive announcement from Newcastle United

The announcement of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup final shirts was also met with a mixed reaction on social media.

While fans wanting the top will have to spend fixed price to get their hands on the new Carabao Cup range, many pointed out that its true value will be directly linked to the cup final result. Should Newcastle lose, it only serves as a reminder of a defeat while a win would result in it becoming an iconic piece of Newcastle memorabilia.

At the very least, it’s an improvement on what Liverpool had to offer.