Manchester United are celebrating the first major trophy of the Erik ten Hag era after breaking success-starved Newcastle’s hearts to win the Carabao Cup final.
Both sides headed to Wembley desperate for a victory that could provide the catalyst to a brighter future and it was the ever-improving Red Devils that emerged victorious under the arch.
United had not won silverware since 2017 and ended their longest trophy drought in 40 years by beating Newcastle 2-0 at Wembley, where Casemiro’s header and a Sven Botman own goal settled things.
It was a painful end to the Magpies’ first final since losing by the same scoreline to the same opposition in the 1999 FA Cup showpiece.
Things could have been so different for Eddie Howe’s men had David De Gea not been alert to deny Allan Saint-Maximin’s close-range shot late in the first half.
Within seven minutes of that save the Red Devils had control of the final, with Casemiro heading home Luke Shaw’s free-kick before Botman deflected a Marcus Rashford strike over Loris Karius.
The third-choice goalkeeper, making his debut and first competitive appearance in 728 days, denied Wout Weghorst putting the game to bed in first-half stoppage time.
Newcastle returned brightly from the break but were unable to mount a comeback, extending their wait for a first trophy since their 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph.
As for the victors, Ten Hag’s first ever trip to Wembley saw him join Jose Mourinho as the only United managers to win a major trophy in their first season.
More could yet follow this season given the Dutchman’s transformational impact on the culture and quality at Old Trafford.