Manchester United on Sunday clinched their first major trophy for six years with a ruthless 2-0 win against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.
Manager Erik ten Hag’s side took control by halftime thanks to Casemiro’s header and a Sven Botman own-goal, and held firm despite Newcastle’s second-half pressure.
“We played really well between both boxes. I can’t fault the players’ efforts, but we didn’t defend the free-kick well enough for the first goal. That’s what we will regret,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.
Photo: AFP
Manchester’s first silverware since 2017, when they won the EFL Cup and the UEFA Europa League in the Jose Mourinho era, was just reward for a mature display that underlined the impressive work done by Dutchman Ten Hag since he arrived from AFC Ajax last year.
The celebrations that accompanied Manchester’s sixth EFL Cup triumph could be the first of many trophy parades on the evidence of Ten Hag’s transformative first season.
“You have to win the first one, and that is what we did today,” Ten Hag said. “We can get a lot of inspiration from this and more confidence that we can do it.”
“We are still at the start of restoring Manchester United to where we belong — winning trophies,” he added.
Manchester remain challengers on three other fronts, sitting third in the English Premier League and with an FA Cup fifth-round tie against West Ham United tomorrow followed by a Europa League last-16 tie against Real Betis Balompie next month.
After 10 years in the wilderness since Alex Ferguson retired having led them to their last Premier League title in 2013, Manchester are finally emerging from one of the darkest periods in the club’s illustrious history.
Manchester finished a dismal sixth in the Premier League last season, but Ten Hag has swiftly masterminded their return to relevance. It was fitting that his maiden trophy success with Manchester came after he met Ferguson for dinner recently and with the Scot watching from the Wembley stands.
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