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Welcome to the Soul of Sport series. Every week Sportsmail photographers will showcase the best sporting events like you’ve never seen them before.
Instead of just focusing on the action, they will seek to capture what happens behind the scenes to offer a very different perspective.
In our first photo essay, Andy Hooper followed Newcastle United’s Toon Army before, during and after Manchester United’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
It captured the heady optimism ahead of Sunday’s game as thousands of fans descended from the trains from the northeast and poured into the streets of the capital.
We see the full range of emotions during the 90 minutes under the Wembley arch and the somber reflections afterward.
This is emotion in its purest form. This is everything we love and hate about being fans. This is the soul of the sport.
If you are interested in purchasing any of Andy Hooper’s images, please email andy.hooper@dailymail.co.uk.
Thousands of Newcastle United fans stepped off the trains at King’s Cross station and were full of optimism ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley.
An endless stream of Geordie fans made their way from the trains from the North East to the heart of the capital.
There was no mistaking the loyalties of the Toon Army that disturbed a quiet Sunday morning at King’s Cross station.
Soon, London’s famous landmarks were on display for those who decked them out in black and white in what was a very special weekend for the Toon Army.
The famous lions of Trafalgar Square provide a decent enough target for these Newcastle fans enjoying a pre-match kick.
Thousands of Newcastle fans took to Trafalgar Square on Saturday night with some returning the next day.
Newcastle fans, some wearing black and white face paint, enjoy a pre-match drink in the hours before kick-off.
It’s one of the best feelings in football, walking down Wembley Way to watch your team play a cup final. Here Newcastle fans make the long walk to the famous stadium
Given that 1999 was the last time Newcastle United played at Wembley, the old Wembley being, in a final, you can forgive these fans for stopping for a souvenir photo.
Some traveled from Newcastle by car, with their own message about going to Wembly. [sic]
There’s always the opportunity to pick up a souvenir, with this badge seller on the outskirts of Wembley doing a brisk business.
This Newcastle fan had amassed a fine collection of badges, including one marking a previous game against Manchester United in the 1999 FA Cup Final.
The black and white clad Newcastle fans certainly seem to be outnumbering the red Man United fans in this shot.
A kiss for good luck as the Newcastle fans – including this one with his whole head, not just his face, painted – gather
The battle cry as the game kicks off as tens of thousands of Newcastle fans in the Wembley half make the team roar in
Black and white flags wave to create a stunning choreography at the Newcastle end before kick-off
Any outfit was fine, as long as it was black and white, and there’s always an excuse to have a drink at Mackems.
‘Howay United’ was the refrain for the Geordie masses, who have been riding a wave of optimism this season.
The kind of expression that can only mean that a referee decision just went against your team.
Some proud Geordie ink on display with the Tyne Bridge and Angel of the North depicted on this fan’s forearm
This young fan of Newcastle’s brilliant Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes even sought to copy his facial hair.
This fan, with a massive NUFC tattoo on his stomach, wasn’t even remotely worried about the freezing temperatures.
An image that sums up the Newcastle afternoon in which the few chances that were forged at Wembley were wasted
Optimism turned to deflation as goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford gave Manchester United control of the final
Newcastle’s 54-year wait for a major trophy continues after Manchester United won the final 2-0
It just wasn’t going to be Newcastle day when their supporters left Wembley for the long journey home.