Manchester United have themselves a trophy

For the first time since 2017, the Red Devils have won a piece of silverware

For a club like Manchester United, six years is a long time to wait for a trophy.

But after a period of floundering, United finally appears to have put two essential pieces in place: a coach and a midfield anchor. That, along with one of the most in-form players in Europe, has made all the difference.

With Erik ten Hag, Casemiro and Marcus Rashford leading the charge, United easily ended their title drought on Sunday by defeating Newcastle 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Casemiro opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a header off Luke Shaw’s free kick delivery. Six minutes later, Rashford was on hand to score what appeared to be his 25th goal of a prolific campaign, only for the scoring to eventually be changed to a Sven Botman own goal.

Newcastle would hardly threaten the rest of the way at Wembley, as David de Gea needed to make just two saves all afternoon to notch his 181st clean sheet with Manchester United — breaking Peter Schmeichel’s all-time club record.

In Ten Hag, United appears to finally have their first post-Sir Alex manager worthy of leading the club for the long term. The Dutchman has instilled a clear style of play, a system of discipline and has helped rid the club of some of its bigger distractions.

Sunday marked the end of United’s trophy drought but it may not be the last piece of hardware the club lifts in 2022-23. They’re third in the Premier League table and still alive in the FA Cup and Europa League.

For the first time in a while, there is a real sense of optimism at Old Trafford. Now, about that ownership situation…

Watch Man Utd’s goals vs. Newcastle

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