Glory, Glory Man United

After nearly 6 years, Manchester United finally broke their trophy drought, beating Newcastle 2-0 in the League Cup final. It was a hard-fought victory and one that was well overdue. A club of United’s stature should never go that long without winning silverware and it was another sign that under Erik Ten Hag’s, this team are heading in the right direction. So, for this week’s post, I’m going to talk about our journey to Carabao Cup 2023 winners.

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Third Round: Manchester United 4-2 Aston Villa

This was the most exciting game on the road to Wembley. Believe it or not, all six goals were scored in the second half after a grim opening 45 minutes .It was the first time in the season that I saw United dig deep and show their fighting spirit and resilience. Aston Villa had gone ahead twice through Ollie Watkins’ cool finish and Diogo Dalot’s own goal, with a tap-in from Anthony Martial sandwiched in between. But from the moment Marcus Rashford equalised, the momentum in the match truly swung in favour of the Red Devils. Bruno Fernandes’ deflected strike after a mistake from the Villa defence made it 3-2 and then Scott McTominay sealed the win in stoppage time. At a time where the Cristiano Ronaldo cloud was still glooming over the club, this win was a welcome boost.

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Fourth Round: Manchester United 2-0 Burnley

United’s first game post the World Cup (and post Cristiano Ronaldo) was this fourth-round tie against Championship leaders Burnley, led by former City captain Vincent Kompany. It was a competitive game as Burnley created a decent number of chances. In the end though, United’s class proved the difference, with goals from Marcus Rashford and Christian Eriksen sending United through to the quarters. Rashford’s goal was a thing of beauty, running past two defenders before drilling a fierce strike to the bottom left corner which left the keeper with no chance. Rashford’s strike was the start of a formidable run that he would go on that continues to this day. He had a good World Cup for England, and he came back firing on all cylinders. At this point, there was increased optimism that United could win their first trophy since 2017.

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Quarter-Final: Manchester United 3-0 Charlton Athletic

Up to this point, the cup draw had been kind to us, and this was further evidence of this. Charlton Athletic were the lowest-ranked team left in the competition so you would expect United to breeze through this tie. Charlton had knocked out Brighton in the previous round, but this was always going to be a step too far. They occasionally threatened to cause another upset but they lacked the quality to cause United problems in the final third. A stunning strike from Antony and a Marcus Rashford double (the sixth came in a row in which he had scored in since the World Cup) booked United’s place in the semi-finals. With City surprisingly getting knocked out by Southampton, United now became the bookies’ favourites to win the Carabao Cup. The pressure now was really on and anything less than lifting that trophy wouldn’t be good enough.

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Semi-Final: Nottingham Forest 0-3 Manchester United (First Leg)

United took one step towards Wembley with this convincing 3-0 victory at the City Ground. The atmosphere was fantastic, and both sets of players were right up for it. Marcus Rashford continued his great form by scoring another brilliant, solo goal, with additional goals from Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandes putting the reds in a commanding position heading into the second leg. Forest had a goal ruled out for offside, but that’s as good as it got for the Premier League newcomers. At a ground where some of the bigger teams have struggled (namely Liverpool and Chelsea), United stamped their authority and supporters were now truly believing that this would be their year. Once more, Rashford was in peak form, the defence was stellar and Casemiro and Eriksen in the midfield controlled the match. It was a professional team performance and provided more evidence of the improvement since those early games in the season.

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Semi-Final: Manchester United 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Second Leg)

Another assured display for United proved enough to reach the final of the Carabao Cup. Despite the big lead that the Red Devils took into the second leg, Erik Ten Hag still named a strong side. The manager could have easily rested the big hitters, but no. Instead of taking the game lightly, I’m sure he wanted to continue to rack up the wins and build more momentum. In truth, the result was never in doubt. The first half was a low-key affair, with clear-cut chances at a premium. United remained focused and late goals from Anthony Martial and Fred sealed a 5-0 aggregate win and their place in the final of the competition. It was telling that even after the victory, Erik Ten Hag demanded higher standards from his place, the signs of a manager that does not accept mediocrity but insists on greatness.

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Final: Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United

Both teams heading into the final were under immense pressure to get the job done. United were amidst their longest trophy drought in four decades. For Newcastle, they hadn’t won silverware in 54 years. It was the Magpies that enjoyed most of the ball, with Allan Saint-Maximin forcing a good save from David De Gea. However, somewhat against the run of play, Casemiro headed United in front before another goal from Marcus Rashford created clear daylight. Once that second goal went in, I was never worried about Newcastle getting back into the game. These players have developed a level of defensive steel that enables them to see out games. This game was another example of that. It was by no means a final for the ages, but once that final whistle went, you could see the joy in the coaches and players. For United fans, this is hopefully the first of many more trophies to come.

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This Week’s Hot Take

I believe that this will be the most important trophy that Erik Ten Hag will win as United manager. Many elite managers in the past have used the League Cup as a springboard for greater success. Both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola won the competition in their first season at Chelsea and City respectively, before going on to win multiple Premier League titles. I’m not getting carried away by thinking that suddenly United will become title contenders. But if it does happen, I’m sure the Dutchman will look by at how the Carabao Cup started it all.