Wayne Rooney came off the bench to net the winner as Manchester United retained the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Wembley.
Rooney, a first-half replacement for Michael Owen, powered a header past Brad Friedel with 16 minutes to go as United claimed their fourth League Cup final success.
Villa, who themselves were looking for their sixth League Cup win, had taken the lead early on through a James Milner penalty but Owen levelled for United before hobbling off.
Martin O'Neill's men will probably point to the fact that Nemenja Vidic could have seen red for his part in the penalty incident, but United probably deserved to lift the silverware in a closely contested match.
Villa flew out of the traps and took the lead with just five minutes on the clock, although they could easily have been given a man advantage by referee Phil Dowd.
Ashley Young's ball over the top for Gabriel Agbonlahor saw the England frontman outpace Vidic into the area, but the Serbian defender repeatedly tugged at Agbonhalor's shirt and eventually clipped his legs to bring him down. Dowd correctly pointed to the spot, with Milner converting emphatically from 12 yards, but Vidic could have been shown a red card for being the last man - in fact he wasn't even shown a yellow!
Villa's lead did not last long, however, with United hitting back seven minutes later.
Richard Dunne was ponderous on the ball and was robbed by Dimitar Berbatov who burst into the box. Dunne got back to get a tackle in but the ball broke to Owen who produced an expert finish across Brad Friedel and into the far corner.
However Owen, who was looking bright, suffered yet more injury woe when he pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem shortly before half-time and was replaced by the in-form Rooney.
It was United who started the brighter in the second period, with Michael Carrick forcing Friedel into a smart stop to his right.
But, after a decent spell of Villa pressure, Sir Alex Ferguson's men took the lead with yet another Rooney header.
Man-of-the-Match Antonio Valencia and Berbatov played a neat one-two down the right, the former's cross picked out Rooney 12 yards from goal and he strained his neck muscles to send a majestic header into the top corner.
It could have been 3-1 moments later when another Valencia header found Rooney again, but this time the England striker's downward header struck the foot of the post and rebounded to safety.
Villa piled bodies forward in search of an equaliser but United held out to make it back-to-back Carling Cup wins.
Villa, who themselves were looking for their sixth League Cup win, had taken the lead early on through a James Milner penalty but Owen levelled for United before hobbling off.
Martin O'Neill's men will probably point to the fact that Nemenja Vidic could have seen red for his part in the penalty incident, but United probably deserved to lift the silverware in a closely contested match.
Villa flew out of the traps and took the lead with just five minutes on the clock, although they could easily have been given a man advantage by referee Phil Dowd.
Ashley Young's ball over the top for Gabriel Agbonlahor saw the England frontman outpace Vidic into the area, but the Serbian defender repeatedly tugged at Agbonhalor's shirt and eventually clipped his legs to bring him down. Dowd correctly pointed to the spot, with Milner converting emphatically from 12 yards, but Vidic could have been shown a red card for being the last man - in fact he wasn't even shown a yellow!
Villa's lead did not last long, however, with United hitting back seven minutes later.
Richard Dunne was ponderous on the ball and was robbed by Dimitar Berbatov who burst into the box. Dunne got back to get a tackle in but the ball broke to Owen who produced an expert finish across Brad Friedel and into the far corner.
However Owen, who was looking bright, suffered yet more injury woe when he pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem shortly before half-time and was replaced by the in-form Rooney.
It was United who started the brighter in the second period, with Michael Carrick forcing Friedel into a smart stop to his right.
But, after a decent spell of Villa pressure, Sir Alex Ferguson's men took the lead with yet another Rooney header.
Man-of-the-Match Antonio Valencia and Berbatov played a neat one-two down the right, the former's cross picked out Rooney 12 yards from goal and he strained his neck muscles to send a majestic header into the top corner.
It could have been 3-1 moments later when another Valencia header found Rooney again, but this time the England striker's downward header struck the foot of the post and rebounded to safety.
Villa piled bodies forward in search of an equaliser but United held out to make it back-to-back Carling Cup wins.
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