Manchester United Win EFL Cup

Manchester United have won the EFL Cup today, in an action packed encounter at Wembley that saw the Red Devils beat Southampton 3-2. The victory sees United take their first piece of major silverware back to Old Trafford in the Jose Mourinho era.

The game started at a high pace, when in the early minutes Southampton thought that they had taken the lead, when Manolo Gabbiadini tapped in from close range. The goal was disallowed for offside, a decision which replays showed was incorrect. United took the lead after nineteen minutes, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been in fantastic form this season, finished directly from a free kick. The lead was doubled after 38 minutes, when Jesse Lingard finished off a neat passing move from the Red Devils. Despite the two goal lead, United had been second best. Southampton got a goal moments before half time, which was the least they deserved, when Gabbiadini netted again, this time it stood. 

The second half was just as exciting, Gabbiadini with an exquisite finish just three minutes after the interval. The scores were level, and Southampton were the team that looked most likely to go on to win the match. As the tie reached the final five minutes, it was still level and looked to be heading for extra time. Then, Zlatan Ibrahimovic found space in the box to latch on to an Ander Herrera cross and head past Fraser Forster. 

United did not perform to the best of their ability, but the sign of a successful team is that they always find a way to win. It will come as little consolation to Southampton, but the Saints can be proud of their performance and they made a great cup final for fans. Jose Mourinho has now won the League Cup four times as a manager, a feat only matched by greats Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough. United will look to use this victory as a platform for further success this season, with aspirations of winning the FA Cup and Europa League.