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Manchester United leave Saints feeling sinned against – Football Weekly

The podders reflect on United winning a thrilling EFL Cup final against Southampton, and Leicester’s decision to sack Claudio Ranieri nine months after leading them to the Premier League titleSubscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & Stitcher. And join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.On today’s Football Weekly, AC Jimbo is joined by Barry Glendenning, Iain Macintosh and Gregg Bakowski to look back on the cut-throat world of game we so love. Continue reading...

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Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic proves the ace to trump Southampton | Barney Ronay

The Swedish striker spares the blushes of José Mourinho’s side while Paul Pogba is clangingly inept during their 3-2 EFL Cup final victory at WembleyIt is tempting to say Zlatan Ibrahimovic stole this EFL Cup final from Southampton but only if having the craft, skill and bloody-mindedness to drag Manchester United’s misfiring collection of high spec parts across the line really counts as anything other than an act of champion will.What is certain is that United won the first honour of the José Mourinho reboot in the most uneven way, producing a performance at Wembley that clanked and juddered and tripped over its own feet but was still enough to overcome a more fluent Southampton team by virtue of the...

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Southampton’s Manolo Gabbiadini grabs the limelight but is denied final glory | David Hytner

The new signing continued his rich vein of scoring form but defensive frailty cost Saints dear as Manchester United won the League Cup final 3-2Manolo Gabbiadini probably does not know too much about the late Bobby Stokes, who became one of Southampton’s greatest heroes after scoring against Manchester United in a Wembley showpiece. That was in the FA Cup final of 1976, when Stokes conjured the only goal of the game to secure the club’s first piece of major silverware.Gabbiadini did everything within his power to update those old images; to reacquaint the club with that glorious feeling and his performance was the outstanding facet of a gripping EFL Cup final. The January signing from Napoli scored twice to haul his team...

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José Mourinho starts to dream of familiar first trophy with Manchester United

José Mourinho has won the League Cup three times with Chelsea and can open his account at United by being reunited with an old friend at WembleyAnother Wembley winter date for José Mourinho looms, the latest in a long list of cup finals for the Manchester United manager. His first, though, in the job he craved for so long and perhaps the most significant for some time. Related: Oumar Niasse earns Hull second-leg win but Manchester United reach EFL Cup final Related: Hull City v Manchester United: EFL Cup semi-final – as it happened Continue reading...

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Claude Puel close to capping Southampton’s journey in EFL Cup final

After years of increasing success, Claude Puel has guided Southampton to Wembley after a tricky start but owner Katharina Liebherr could yet sell the club to Chinese investors“It’s not bad, eh?” Claude Puel said, with a wry smile, of Southampton’s feat of reaching a major final for the first time in 14 years. Although it is not job done just yet, a sturdy showing over 180 minutes against Liverpool answered many of the Frenchman’s critics – if he still has any.It has taken time for Saints supporters to warm to Puel, who has had to put on a brave face at times, but he could yet go down in history alongside Lawrie McMenemy, the only manager to have won a...

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