Erik Ten Hag has ended Manchester United’s six years trophy drought with a hard-fought Carabao Cup Final win over Newcastle United.
Under a scintillating evening at Wembley, Manchester United clambered onto their first major domestic final in years.
The Red Devils have migrated off the rubbles and wreckage of recent years to dare and intimidate Premier League and European heavyweights.
Manchester City and Barcelona have been casualties, thanks to the Dutch tactician, who equally bears with prudence a magical touch that has transformed Manchester United into a potent and threat-carrying competitor in both English and European football this season.
They are the only team in the top five leagues in Europe to retain their spot in all major top competitions this season and the Carabao Cup Final is one they are ready to wrap up in style.
However, Newcastle are no minnow but a worthy finalist. After the Saudi takeover in October 2021, the club flipped in a flash with the Saudi oil money greasing the genteel transition into an intimidating Premier League opponents with English football veteran Eddie Howe manning the steering.
The Magpies are looking for their first domestic trophy in decades but have crashed the top-four race in style, giving the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham a perfect competitive run.
Hence, the game against the Red Devils at the oval-shaped architectural masterpiece called Wembley, was expected to be a cracker between two previously underrated teams, eyeing passionately a first silverware that has eluded both in years.
Newcastle bundled out Southampton from the competition after the later shocked Premier League champions Manchester City, guiding them through to the exit door.
Manchester United spoiled the party for Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest to reach the finals and were tipped by most pundits to pocket the Magpies at Wembley before thousands of passionate fans awaiting the thrills of the blockbuster final.
The two sides had collided in the Premier League and like a clash of the titans, it ended goalless.
However, the expected Wembley cracker was already bundled in the dizzying wave of a typical final, tensed and charged with emotions.
Hence, the match was set to depart from the barren Old Trafford draw between the two teams earlier this season.
Erik Ten Hag left no stone unturned in his line, fielding his finest legs.
With De Gea between the sticks, Martinez, Varane, Dalot, and Shaw manned the backline. Casemiro and Fred filled the center half spaces while Antony, Fernandez, and Rashford line up in attacking midfield behind Wout Weghorst.
Ten Hag made a subtle maneuver in the lineup. Rashford retreat to the wings while Weghorst led the attack.
Howe was left with his third-choice Karius at the post after Nick Pope was suspended while Dubravka is cup-tied.
Burn, Botman, Schar, and Trippier starts at the back. Guimaraes, Joelington, and Longstaff led the three-man defense, while Saint-Maximin, Wilson, and Almiron led the attack.
It was a dull start bereft of the sparks of a final as the referee set the match on the roll. No real threats in each other’s box. forlorn passes, cheap losses in possession, and an absolute lack of drive from the two ends grind down the pace of the game.
Antony was picked by Bruno Fernandes regularly on the flanks. He took his run but floundered at the edge of the box with not enough creativity to break through.
Over 24 minutes played in the game, no real chance was created as both sides seemed to approach the game with a lot of respect for each other.
In the 33rd minute, Newcastle gave a cheap goal to Man United, allowing Casemiro to latch on to Luke Shaw’s freekick and head it into the net.
Six minutes later, a midfield blunder saw the Red Devils picked on a quick counter. Wout Weghorst charged upfront with the ball before sliding it to Rashford, who fired a right-footed strike into the roof of the net.
Newcastle wrestled the game from the Red Devils after conceding two quick goals with ease.
They dominated play, and pressed deep but failed to create a clear chance as United headed into the second half just 45 minutes away from a first domestic trophy in six years.
Eddie Howe clearly struggled to navigate the cobwebs of Erik Ten Hag’s tactical maneuver. He stood clueless on the touchlines, but the game was still on a knife edge after Newcastle’s last-minute attacking pace before the end of the first half.
Newcastle got the game to a fiery start in the second half and heaped immense pressure on the Red Devils.
The Red Devils were pushed to the wall and were forced to drink from a fire hose of incessant attacks.
Varane and Lisandro Martinez had no dull moment in the back and David de Gea was forced into some spectacular saves to deny the Magpies a goal.
Manchester United held off the pressure by the Magpies to secure victory and end six years trophy drought at Old Trafford.
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