Manchester United win Carabao Cup final to prolong Newcastle’s trophy wait

There are differing definitions of a trophy drought at these two clubs. It felt like a long time ago that Manchester United were winning this competition and the Europa League under José Mourinho. It was 2017 and the barren years since then had added up to their longest sequence without silverware since the early 1980s.

Newcastle, of course, could see that and reraise it to 54 years – the chasm to their famous Fairs Cup triumph. This final, Newcastle’s first since the FA Cup of 1999 when they took on the same opponents, was all about who could chart fresh territory, who could own the occasion. As in 1999, it was the Reds – and by the same scoreline.

Erik ten Hag was the picture of elation when it was all over, dancing a South American jig with Lisandro Martínez and Antony, his Old Trafford revolution given the hard edge that he had demanded. And, really, it was all pretty comfortable after a two-goal salvo towards the end of the first half.

The excellent Casemiro got the first with a towering header, Marcus Rashford forced the second with a shot that deflected off Sven Botman to wrongfoot the unfortunate Loris Karius and United were happy for the second half to become a nonevent, a gradual countdown to glory.

Ten Hag’s team have lost only once in 21 matches, they are alive and kicking in the last 16 of both the FA Cup and Europa League and they are sitting pretty in third in the Premier League. It is looking and feeling extremely sweet. And if Avram Glazer, who was picked out by the cameras here, and his family could now leave as the United fans demanded throughout …

Newcastle have been transformed since the Saudi Arabia-led takeover of October 2021, Eddie Howe benefiting from a £240m spend on new players and shaping a