- Zlatan opens, closes scoring
- Mourinho wins first tourney with Utd
- Lingard scores
- Gabbiadini with Saints brace
Zlatan Ibrahimovic rose to the occasion at Wembley Stadium, scoring early and late as Manchester United defeated Southampton 3-2 in an instant classic EFL Cup Final on Sunday.
Jesse Lingard also scored as Jose Mourinho became the first manager to win a League Cup with two sides (Chelsea).
Manolo Gabbiadini scored twice as Saints erased a 2-0 deficit in their first final since 1979.
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Paul Pogba unleashed a furious shot from 20-plus yards in the 4th minute that Fraser Forster popped away from danger for the match’s first moment of danger.
Saints earned a corner with their first true bit of possession, which came almost exclusively from the dribbling of Nathan Redmond. It led to another corner, which Pogba eventually sent free of trouble.
Poor defending from United from Marcos Rojo nearly put Saints in front, but an incorrectly ruled offside Manolo Gabbiadini put the ball in the goal.
Oriol Romeu earned a yellow card for a late tackle on Ander Herrera, cueing up United for a 19th minute free kick that Ibrahimovic sent home.
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GOAAAAL! @Ibra_official just smashes in the free-kick and puts @ManUtd in the lead! #beINEFLCup https://t.co/O6oAF9jzxQ
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) February 26, 2017
Gabbiadini then fed James Ward-Prowse for a strong shot that De Gea did very well to slap away.
Soon after, it was Dusan Tadic’s turn. Cued up by Redmond, he forced De Gea into another excellent save.
Lingard made it 2-0 before halftime, given plenty of room to position Rojo’s pass for a successful strike.
But Gabbiadini got his goal just before the break, slipping behind Eric Bailly to poke home Saints’ first.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 26: Manolo Gabbiadini of Southampton (20) celebrates as he scores their second goal with Oriol Romeu of Southampton (14) during the EFL Cup Final match between Manchester United and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on February 26, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Getty Images
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The second half began just as lively, with De Gea making a stop on Redmond’s solid effort from inside the 18.
And Saints earned the corner that led to their equalizer moments later, Gabbiadini again the proverbial fox in the box to score on a half turn.
The game had passed the hour mark when Romeu headed a chance off the post.
Pogba and Ibrahimovic presided over another free kick in the 74th minute, but the wall did its job to keep the score 2-2.
Lingard lashed over soon after, and subsequently left the match for Marcus Rashford. Claude Puel also made a move, taking off Dusan Tadic for Sofiane Boufal.
It was fellow sub Shane Long who missed a chance to make it 3-2 when Ryan Bertrand blazed a run down the left to send an inviting ball across goal.
That’s when United won it. Ibrahimovic blazed down the field on a counter attack, but slowed up to let the Red Devils set up shop. Martial found Herrera on the right side of the box, and cross for the noggin of Ibrahimovic, who headed through the hands of Forster.
GOAAAAL! @Ibra_official is a killer in front of goal and @ManUtd lead with less than 5 minutes of the 90. https://t.co/H6eOfbWFGr
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) February 26, 2017
