Manchester United took home the Carling Cup last by beating Aston Vila 2-1 in the 50th League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Rooney, who came on as a substitute for United’s other scorer Michael Owen, struck with a superbly executed header after 74 minutes, for his 20th goal in his last 20 matches, as United became the first team since Nottingham Forest (in 1989 and 1990) to win the cup in successive seasons.
Rooney, who started on the bench as he had a sore knee, told reporters: “It’s great to have this cup again, it means a lot to win a Wembley final and I am delighted to score the winner, but it’s another great day for the club and the fans.”
Aston Villa, the first winners of the trophy in 1961, and victors over Manchester United in 1994, took the lead after five minutes when James Milner scored from the penalty spot, but were often second best against a dominant United, who also hit the post twice.
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Arsenal beat Liverpool 2 – 1 in their League Cup match at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to take the Gunners to the quarter finals.
Manchester City thumped Championship (second division) Scunthorpe United 5-1 to take their place in the last eight and Chelsea saw off Bolton Wanderers 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.
That trio joined holders Manchester United, last year’s runners-up Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth and Aston Villa in an all-Premier League draw for the quarter-finals which takes place on Saturday.
Manager Arsene Wenger, in charge of Arsenal for the 750th time and seeking his club’s first silverware since 2005, put his faith in younger players as he usually does in this competition and they rose to the occasion with a well-deserved win.
Fran Merida, their 19-year-old Spanish midfielder, put them ahead with a superbly struck curling left-foot shot after 19 minutes, before Liverpool equalised with an equally stunning shot from Argentine Emiliano Insua, his first for Liverpool, six minutes later.
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Rafael Benitez felt his much-changed Liverpool team were rewarded for their hard work after beating Leeds 1-0 in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.
The Premier League giants were given a scare by the League One leaders at an electric Elland Road before eventually settling the third-round tie with a second-half David Ngog goal.
Leeds had a first-half goal disallowed and spurned a number of other opportunities before Ngog netted against the run of play with 65 minutes gone.
Yet Benitez, after making nine changes, brushed off suggestions that his team had ridden their luck.
The Spaniard said: “We worked hard and I feel we had our chances.
“We won with a lot of players not playing and I am really pleased with my team, with the squad.
“These kind of games are very important to keep the quality of character. I think it was a fantastic win for us.
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Manchester United suffered a shock defeat of 1 – 0 against second division Derby last night at Pride Park on Wednesday in the Leaugue Cup.
“Kris Commons fired the only goal with half an hour gone and Derby could have taken a two-goal advantage to Old Trafford for the second leg in two weeks’ time had Rob Hulse not wasted a glorious late chance.
United manager Alex Ferguson fielded an under-strength side but introduced Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo late on with the latter almost equalising with a trademark free kick that brushed the post.
Until then the Premier League champions had rarely tested their former keeper Roy Carroll in the Derby goal.
Derby, relegated from the top flight last season with a record low points total and languishing in 18th place in the Championship, had new manager Nigel Clough watching in the stands as he prepared for his first day in charge.
Clough, confirmed as the club’s new manager on Tuesday, must have been impressed by the organisation and spirit of Derby who fully deserved their first leg advantage.
United came under pressure early on, with Jonny Evans forced to clear one effort off the line. Andy Todd then lifted a good chance over the crossbar.
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Carlos Tevez is keen to lead United’s attack on all fronts after taking his Carling Cup tally to five for the season so far.
Scorer of the match-winning penalty against QPR in the fourth round, the terrific Tevez blasted four past Blackburn Rovers in the fifth. His quadruple included another spot-kick and an opening goal that may in the long run be seen by some as an Aaron Mokoena’s own goal.
Not that Carlos is taking that into consideration for now, as he enjoys the exposure he richly deserves after destroying Paul Ince’s side at Old Trafford.
“I’m very proud to score four goals,” Tevez told MUTV, with his team-mate Rodrigo Possebon acting as interpreter.
“It’s the first time I’ve done it in my career and I’m very proud to have achieved this in a United shirt. We’re very happy as a team with our performance, and I’m happy with my performance as well.
“For the players who do not play very often, it was a very good night because we showed we can play in any game that’s to come in the Premier League or Champions League.”
Chipping in with some words of his own, Possebon echoed Tevez’s pride in the display.
“It was a great performance – five goals, four from Carlito and one from Nani – and we are very proud. Blackburn is a very good team with some players who can make a difference. But we played better and we’re overjoyed to have won again.”
Post written for Soccer Pitch by Jaco van Dyk
