Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Manchester United lifted the EFL Cup with a 3-2 win over Southampton in an outstanding game at Wembley yesterday.
The striker powered home a Marcos Rojo cross with three minutes remaining to clinch the trophy for Jose Mourinho’s men after Southampton had recovered from 2-0 down thanks to a brace of goals from Manolo Gabbiadini.
Southampton thought they had made the breakthrough in a thrilling encounter when Gabbiadini converted from close range after 11 minutes.
The striker was onside as he steered home a ball from Cedric Soares but Ryan Bertrand, although not interfering with play, had strayed offside and the flag went up — but the goal should have stood.
Southampton were making much of the early running but found themselves behind after 19 minutes when Ibrahimovic struck for United.
Oriol Romeu was booked for his challenge Ander Herrera, which gave United a free kick around 25 yards out — and up stepped Ibrahimovic to curl a superb shot over the wall and past Fraser Forster, who could perhaps have done better with it, for his 25th goal of the season.
Southampton responded and, on the half hour, almost levelled when Gabbiadini set up James Ward-Prowse whose effort was pushed away by David de Gea.
Soon after Dusan Tadic had tested De Gea once again, United seemed to have taken control of the final when they went 2-0 ahead through Jesse Lingard after 38 minutes.
Anthony Martial, Juan Mata and Marcos Rojo were all involved in the build-up before Lingard steered a low finish wide of Forster.
But Southampton grabbed a deserved lifeline seconds before the break as Gabbiadini struck, prodding a Ward-Prowse cross into the net.
Within four minutes of the start of the second half they were level, Gabbiadini producing an instinctive low finish after a Southampton corner had created havoc in the heart of the United defence.
Claude Puel’s side could have turned things round completely after 63 minutes when Romeu rose to meet another corner, only to see his powerful header crash back off the post with De Gea stranded.
Ibrahimovic was denied by Forster as the second-half action swung from end to end — but the Swede was not to be denied and, with four minutes remaining, powered home a header to clinch the trophy from an outstanding Rojo cross
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