Man United Ends Six-Years Trophy Drought Following A 2-0 Win Over Newcastle In The Carabao Cup Final.

Manchester United are crowned champions of the 2022/23 Carabao Cup/EFL Cup following a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening.

United reach the final in good form, having booked their place in the Europa League Round-of-16 on Thursday night at the expense of run-away La Liga leaders Barcelona, while also thumping Nottingham Forest 5-0 in over two-legs in the League Cup semi-final and beating Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League last weekend.

Eddie Howe's Newcastle defeated Southampton 3-1 across two legs in the semi-final, but have been less than impressive in the league recently as the were defeated 2-0 at home by Liverpool last weekend.

Casemiro broke the deadlock after 33 minutes when he headed home from Luke Shaw’s free-kick and after a VAR check for a possible offside, the goal was awarded. 

The Red Devils doubled their advantage after Sven Botman deflected Marcus Rashford’s shot out of the reach of Newcastle’s stand-in keeper Loris Karius who started in place of the suspended Nick Pope.

Newcastle geared up to try and end their 68-year wait for a trophy, as the team pushed hard to restore parity after the break, but United held on to secure a very much long-awaited piece of silverware.

It was the first domestic trophy of the 2022-23 season, and United's first major trophy win in six-years.

Man United last won a trophy in May 2017 (five years and 278 days ago ), when they won both this same competition and the Europa League in the same season under the Jose Mourinho era.

It is their longest wait for a major trophy for 40-years (since 1983), when they won the FA Cup six years and five days after their previous honour, the FA Cup in 1977.

This would be the sixth time that United would be crowned champions of the League Cup in history.

Manager Erik ten Hag, becomes the first ever Dutch manager in the competition’s history to win the League Cup.

The title is the evidence of Ten Hag’s transformative and impressive first season at Old Trafford following his appointment as their new manager from Ajax towards the tail end of a disastrous 2021-22 season.

They finished a dismal sixth in the Premier League last season. After 10 years in the darkest period of the club's illustrious history since Alex Ferguson retired having led them to their last Premier League title in 2013, United are finally emerging again as one of European club top powerhouse, all thanks to Ten Hag.

 

“First, you have to win the first one and that is what we did today,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports after the triumph.

“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, which is to be winning trophies.

"The players are good and connected and they also challenge each other and it is a good dressing room and in the moment it is difficult they help each other out. It is the best a manager can get.

" We have a very good spirit to fight and give everything. 

"I just want to win. We invest from the start with the staff. They did an incredible good job with the players. The staff and players are together. There was a hunger and desire for trophies because Man Utd stands for trophies."

Manchester United finally have their hands on a trophy 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍! 🏆🤩 pic.twitter.com/0J9PEWDr4m

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 26, 2023

It was fitting that Ten Hag’s maiden trophy success with United came after he recently met Ferguson for dinner, and the Scot was in attendance watching from the Wembley stands.

United co-chairman Avram Glazer, was also in attendance in the final, which was his first game since the November announcement that his family are considering offers for selling the club, but may now reconsider selling up after viewing what could be the start of a golden era.

This could be the first of many trophies to come for United, as they remain the only European club still in four competitions this season.

They currently sit third in the Premier League and with an FA Cup fifth round tie against West Ham on Wednesday followed by a Europa League last-16 tie against Real Betis in March.