Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has explained that Kieran Tripper's arms were "out for balance" after the ball struck his arm in the Newcastle box - before VAR ruled that no penalty would be awarded to in the

Reds forward had been jostling for the ball with Magpies defender Trippier, when the ball hit the Toon full-back, leading to a check for a potential spot kick. However, the England star escaped without any punishment, as referee John Brooks decided not to blow his whistle for a foul.

The legend revealed the stance of the officials Stuart Atwell and Sian Massey-Ellis at Stockley Park, who checked the incident in a review during the first half of the showpiece. After it was deemed that the on-field decision should stand, Neville discussed the reasoning behind the call with former Premier League referee Mike Dean.

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During an exchange live on air during the Sky Sports broadcast, the punditry pair engaged in a back-and-forth as they discussed whether a penalty should have been given to . Ex-Old Trafford stalwart Neville admitted that the ball had struck Trippier in the hand.

However, he did not feel that the former Atletico Madrid defender had intentionally handled the ball, asserting: "It definitely hit Trippier's hand, we can see that from up here. VAR is saying his arms are out for balance, which takes it away from Diaz. In Europe, I think it is probably given as a penalty.

Interjecting during the coverage, ex-referee Mike Dean then said that he agreed with the officials as they decided to uphold the on-field call. He said: "I can sort of understand what Stuart [Attwell] is saying. The wording is right, it is for balance. His arm is outstretched for balance. I don't think it is a penalty."

Coming into the showpiece, Trippier appeared confident that the Toon could pull off an upset in the final as they returned to Wembley Stadium for a first time in two years. In the 2023 edition of the Carabao Cup final, the Magpies slumped to a 2-0 loss against Manchester United.

Speaking about a change to their preparations heading into the 2025 final, He said: "Staying at the Hilton was too close, shall we say," as he looked back over where the Toon went wrong the last time out at Wembley. "It's about learning. The club learned a lot from the first time around.

A lot more things are well organised this time. I'm not saying it was bad last time but we're more prepared because we've been in this position now. "We played United in the last cup final and we're more relaxed. Now we've just got to review this game [at the London Stadium] and look forward to another special occasion at the weekend against Liverpool."

Speaking on Sky Sports, Newcastle boss s, saying: "The biggest change [from 2023] has been our hotel.

"Our hotel has been outside London, that's been... two years ago we were right next to Wembley, so we were absorbing everything... supporter[s], feeling, maybe too early in our build-up," he continued. "Being out of the way, maybe that will make a very small percentage difference."