The last time Man Utd and Newcastle contested a cup final

This season's Carabao Cup final won't be the first final Manchester United and Newcastle have contested, but it's also been a fair while since they have done so.

The clubs are in similar places, looking to put disappointing spells behind them and establish themselves as two of the biggest and best sides in the country again.

That was very much the case for Newcastle when the pair last met in a cup final too, in the spring of 1999. After finishing second in the league two seasons in a row earlier in the decade, the Magpies had fallen down to mid-table and, managed by Ruud Gullit, looked to be a team on the decline. Their win over Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final was their only victory in over a month.

Things couldn't be more different for the team they'd face in the final, with a young United side, featuring the Class of '92, just securing the league title and going for a historic treble.

Here's how things panned out that day.

What happened the last time Man Utd and Newcastle contested a cup final?

It was the underdogs that made the stronger start to the game, with Alan Shearer knocking the ball down for Nolberto Solano, who saw his volley saved by Peter Schmeichel...there were some pretty handy players on the pitch.

Things then got even more concerning for Alex Ferguson when Roy Keane picked up an injury in a challenge with Gary Speed, having to be taken off with Teddy Sheringham replacing him. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moved onto the wing and David Beckham into central midfield.

Despite that setback though, Man Utd took the lead less than two minutes after that change. Sheringham made the instant impact, firing past Steve Harper after being played in by Paul Scholes.

Both the goalscorer and Andy Cole had chances to double their side's lead before the end of the first half, with the Red Devils being the better team, but the duo couldn't take them, meaning Newcastle entered the final 45 minutes in with a chance.

Just eight minutes after the restart though, Scholes and Sheringham linked up again to make it 2-0, swapping roles with the striker setting up the midfielder this time around.

Newcastle had their chances to get back into the game after that, with Silvio Maric missing the biggest of them, firing wide when through on goal.

Ultimately, they weren't able to beat Schmeichel with any of their 11 efforts, getting just three of them on target, allowing their opponents to secure a domestic double.

Ferguson singled out Sheringham and Beckham for praise after the match, being impressed by the former's impact off the bench and the latter's ability to fill in for Keane in midfield - something he did again in the Champions League final a few days later.

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What happened to the clubs after the final?

Just four days later, Fergusons's side went and made that double a treble when they beat Bayern Munich in a dramatic Champions League final, the first English side ever to achieve such a feat.

There were some real parallels with the FA Cup final in that game, with Sheringham coming off the bench to be a hero for his side, equalising in the 91st minute before Solskjaer got the winner two minutes later, and Beckham doing an admirable job standing in for Keane.

Thanks to their cup triumphs and Premier League title, the side has since gone down as one of the best teams in the history of English football.

As for Newcastle, they parted ways with Gullit five games into the following campaign and appointed Sir Bobby Robson, who would go on to briefly make them one of the country's best sides again in his five seasons in charge.