King Casemiro and magical subs - the story of United's Carabao Cup triumph
Manchester United ended their six-year trophy wait as they beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final.
Newcastle started the game brightly, pressing Man United high up the pitch. They tried to create pressure on United’s defence but failed to take clear shots on David de Gea.
Around the half-hour mark, Casemiro broke the deadlock by heading the ball past Loris Karius.
The Red Devils quickly doubled their lead when Wout Weghorst slipped a pass for Marcus Rashford whose deflected shot looped into the net.
After the break, Newcastle tried to find their way back into the game but lacked ideas in the final third.
Erik ten Hag’s men showed dogged performance in defence to hand their manager his first trophy in England.
Here is what we made of this landmark game.
Erik ten Hag brings glory days back to Manchester United
At the end of the previous campaign, the United fanbase was divided between Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag.
It was hard not to bring the former as he knew the Premier League much better because of his successful time at Tottenham Hotspur.
Skipping 10 months ahead, appointing Ten Hag looks to be the finest decision the club has taken in the last few years. The best part of this triumph is that it feels like just the beginning of more trophies to come in the near future. The new era has officially kicked off!
Casemiro can do no wrong!
Man United struck the £70 million transfer deal with Real Madrid for Casemiro in the summer, and it looks like a bargain now.
Many doubted that he does have the game to fit in England. Many stated that United are getting a player who is past his prime. All of those critics will admit that they were highly mistaken.
Casemiro’s performance against Newcastle showed why he is arguably the signing of the season.
He scored with an amazing header, laying the foundation for United to lift the cup. For the rest of the game, he executed the role of tackler-in-chief and commanded with authority at the centre of the park.
21st senior-level trophy for this magical man.
Man United substitutes did their job to perfection, again
Ten Hag is not just a usual manager but a tactical genius. He possesses a flawless sense of foresight and it was visible yet again.
Allan Saint-Maximin was Newcastle’s most threatening player. His trickery forced Diogo Dalot to foul him and earn a yellow card just nine minutes past the kick-off.
Ten Hag replaced Dalot with Aaron Wan-Bissaka at half-time who showed why he is considered the best one-on-one defender in the country. Wan-Bissaka didn’t give an inch of space to Saint-Maximin who was eventually substituted in the 78th minute.
Marcel Sabitzer came on for Fred and provided much-needed energy in the centre when the Magpies were dominating ball possession. He won the ball a couple of times and even came close to scoring the third goal for the Red Devils.
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