Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic 4-0 on Sunday to post the biggest League Cup final victory in the competition's 45-year history.
After Rooney had given Manchester United a halftime lead, Alex Ferguson's team scored three more in six minutes with Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo also hitting the target at the Millennium Stadium.
It was Manchester United's first triumph in the competition since 1992 and first trophy since the takeover of American businessman Malcolm Glazer last June.
PHOTO: EPA
His sons, Joel, Avi and Bryan, were at the game and some Manchester United fans held up a banner saying "Glazer -- forever in your debt," referring to Manchester United's buyout being based largely on borrowed money.
"They enjoyed their day, they got soaked in champagne," Ferguson said of the Glazer sons.
"We put up a great attacking performance. Wigan had a few attacking moments and we had a few great blocks, but I thought some of our attacking play was very threatening and that was the decisive factor -- our attack against their attack was better."
Ferguson dropped Ruud van Nistelrooy to the bench and said he started Louis Saha because he had scored five goals in four League Cup games.
"I really think he deserved to play in the final," Ferguson said. "Ruud only came into the competition in the second leg of the semifinal."
In its first major final, Wigan was outplayed for the second time this season by Manchester United, having lost 4-0 at Old Trafford on Dec. 14 in their only other meeting with Rooney also scoring twice.
The two teams meet again at Wigan's JJB Stadium on March 6 as Paul Jewell's team, in the top flight of English soccer for the first time, chases a first-ever appearance in a European competition.
"It should be easy -- we've got Man United again next week," Jewell said. "But I'm very proud of my players. My players gave me everything they had but it wasn't good enough.
"We've come a long way. We got beaten by Manchester United in the final this year. Last year we got knocked out by [League Two] Grimsby."
Rooney almost gave Manchester United a seventh-minute lead when Gary Neville floated in a cross from the right and the England striker was unchallenged as he aimed a firm header which bounced back off the crossbar.
Wigan changed goalkeepers in the 15th minute when Mike Pollitt had to go off with a hamstring injury. John Filan took over.
After Arjen de Zeeuw had escaped a penalty claim for handball, United went ahead in the 33rd minute.
Saha flicked on a long through ball and there seemed little danger with Wigan defenders Pascal Chimbonda and de Zeeuw well placed to stop Rooney getting clear. But they got in each other's way and Rooney was left with a clear run to goal before firing the ball home from 15m.
Rooney almost added a second within a minute when he met Ryan Giggs' left-wing cross but shot straight at Filan.
Henri Camara went close to equalizing five minutes into the second half when he got clear of Manchester United's defenders only to shoot straight at goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who blocked his powerful drive.
A minute later, Manchester United went 2-0 up thanks to a well-constructed breakaway launched by Giggs.
The Welshman ran past three Wigan men in midfield and passed out to Cristiano Ronaldo on the right. The Portuguese winger fed the overlapping Neville, whose low cross found Saha unmarked in the middle. Filan did well to block his shot but the ball rebounded off the Frenchman, who ushered it over the line.
Manchester United went 3-0 up in the 59th minute when Wigan defender Stephane Henchoz gave the ball straight to Saha, who slipped it to the unmarked Ronaldo. The winger fired a low angled shot past Filan and then was shown the yellow card for celebrating the goal by taking of his shirt.
It was 4-0 in the 61st after a foul on Ronaldo on the right. Giggs' cross was headed on by Rio Ferdinand and the ball fell to Rooney, who turned the ball home.
Harry Kewell scored for Liverpool in a 1-0 defeat of 10-man Manchester City.
Liverpool's win pulled it level on points with second-place Manchester United, which won its first trophy in two years with its 4-0 win over Wigan at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Liverpool stays third in the Premier League but is eight points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham.
Liverpool Manager Rafa Benitez was frustrated with his team's lack of goals.
"I am not happy with the final scoreline, it was another 1-0 win and another very important three points but I would like to see us score more goals," Benitez said.
Kewell scored in the 40th minute, racing on to a cross from Steven Gerrard to score inside the far post.
Manchester City went a man down in the 52nd minute when Joey Barton was sent off for a second yellow card.
Bolton beat Fulham 2-1 with the winning goal from Kevin Nolan. Heidar Helguson had opened the scoring for Fulham only to also net an own goal just before halftime.
The win lifted Bolton to sixth -- pushing Arsenal to seventh place. Manager Sam Allardyce said the win was a consolation after being eliminated from the UEFA Cup on Thursday.
"You saw the aftermath of us getting knocked out of Europe in the first half hour, and then after going a goal down this victory was as sweet as anything we've done this season," Allardyce said.
Middlesbrough -- which beat Chelsea 3-0 two weeks ago -- beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored twice for Middlesbrough to ease relegation worries. Boro is 16th, but is five points above 17th-placed West Brom with an extra game to play. The Baggies have a three-point buffer from the relegation zone.
Hasselbaink has scored seven goals in his last 10 matches.
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