6 Talking Points From EFL Cup Final

Manchester United and Southampton served up a classic EFL Cup final that will live long in the memory of every Reds supporter. ManUtd.com's Ryan Grant was at Wembley Stadium to see the action unfold and he has picked out some of the many talking points from the game...

1: A MODERN CLASSIC
It was an end-to-end, up and down, nail-biter of a final which will be remembered fondly. At times, like many of the United fans inside Wembley, I was on the edge of my seat in the press box, while occasionally also sinking lower and lower into it. The Reds were cruising at 2-0 up but, to great credit, Southampton fought back admirably with two goals from Manolo Gabbiadini to leave the game finely poised for the majority of the second half. There were saves and scrambles, close calls and high stakes, but ultimately it was Jose Mourinho's men - courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late winner - who prevailed.

2: BORN FOR THE BIG STAGE
What can we say about Zlatan that hasn't already been said? Simply put, the Swedish striker was born for occasions like this and he delivered the goods once again! Ibra opened the scoring with a superb free-kick on 19 minutes, before his 87th-minute header sent the West End of Wembley into raptures. His performance comes as little surprise to those who have watched him this season, but it's one that deserves endless praise nonetheless. Zlatan has won all six of the domestic cup finals he's featured in, scoring seven goals in the process, and he's also netted 26 goals in all competitions this season.

3: JESSE LOVES WEMBLEY
While we're on the subject of players loving the big stage, Jesse Lingard's remarkable record at Wembley continued with a fine finish that put the Reds 2-0 up. The Academy graduate came into the team following an injury to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and justified his selection, with a strike that adds to previous efforts in the FA Cup final and this season's FA Community Shield. He might have scored another on 77 minutes before being replaced by Marcus Rashford, but he's quickly building his own list of great United goals. “It’s up there," Jesse said, when asked where Sunday's goal ranks in his career. "It’s helped the team win another trophy and that’s why you’re on the pitch, you’ve always got to help your team.”

4. A CLUB RECORD FOR JOSE
Mourinho became the first United manager to win a major trophy in a debut season at Old Trafford. Sunday's triumph was also Jose's fourth in the competition after three previous successes during his two tenures at Chelsea, drawing him level with Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough. Victory over Southampton means the Portuguese coach has impressively won 11 of his 13 cup finals as a manager, and the boss summed up his winning mentality after the game. "I’m a bit emotional," he said. "It’s not easy to win titles so many times, it’s not easy to cope with the pressure I put myself under all of my career."

5. WEMBLEY TALLY EQUALED
This visit to Wembley was United's 49th in history and that tally is equaled only by Arsenal. There is still time for Mourinho’s men to move clear of the Gunners before the end of the season, with two trips potentially coming in the FA Cup semi-final and final (the Reds must beat Chelsea in the quarter-final first).

6: ROONEY SHOWED HIS PASSION
Wayne returned to the squad from a period of injury to sit on the bench and was set to enter the action as a substitute when the score was 2-2. However, Ibrahimovic's later winner prompted a decisive Mourinho to send Marouane Fellaini on instead with a view to securing the victory. While that must have been disappointing for the captain, he certainly didn't show it when celebrating wildly on the touchline. Footage of his passionate reaction spread like wildfire on social media, with many fans praising his behaviour.