Newcastle United are in high spirits despite the absences in their squad and will look to present a unified front when they return to Wembley Stadium for the League Cup final against Liverpool, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday.

That went against usual football diplomacy, where players talk of only focusing on the next game, but that’s perhaps part of the charm. It’s also part of the strange dynamics of these occasions, that at once enrich football but can also make it so emotionally wrenching.