Owen and Rooney strike

as United retain League Cup
LONDON,  (Reuters) – Wayne Rooney continued his remarkable scoring streak with his 28th goal of the season to seal Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the 50th League Cup final at Wembley Stadium yesterday.
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.
“It’s a great feeling to play a final at Wembley and score the winning goal,” Rooney told the BBC.
“I think all the players who played in the competition should be proud of themselves. I wanted to play (from the start) but had a bit of a sore knee.”
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 for long periods against a dominant United who also hit the post twice.
Villa manager Martin O’Neill thought United defender Nemanja Vidic should have been sent off for his foul that led to the penalty.
“I think it would be universally accepted that they should have been down to 10 men. There was no other decision to make,” O’Neill told the BBC.
“It’s just not a good decision by an otherwise fine referee. It’s the major point of the match.”
Owen brought United back into the game with a 13th minute equaliser, swept home with a sweet first touch which would have impressed the watching England manager Fabio Capello.
However, he was forced off after 42 minutes with a hamstring injury with Rooney coming on in his place.
United also went close to scoring when Ji-Sung Park hit the post at the end of the first half and Rooney headed against the post two minutes after scoring. Villa also hit the woodwork when an Emile Heskey header bounced off the United bar late in the game.

LUCKY VIDIC
Despite their undoubted superiority the outcome might have been very different if Vidic had been dismissed for his challenge on Gabriel Agbonlahor which led to Villa’s penalty.
Vidic, who has only recently returned to the side after a long injury layoff, tugged at Agbonlahor’s shirt and tripped him with an out-stretched leg. He was extremely fortunate not to be shown either a yellow or a red card by referee Phil Dowd.
Vidic said afterwards: “I don’t think I deserved a red card as I did not tackle him from behind.”
However, United were punished when Milner swept home the ensuing penalty, sending United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak the wrong way.
Agbonlahor continued to stretch the United defence, without injured centre-back Rio Ferdinand, every time Villa attacked, but while they could not add to their early goal, United did find a way through the Villa backline after 13 minutes.
It was a goal Villa defender Richard Dunne would rather forget all about.
Dimitar Berbatov took the ball out of Dunne’s possession on the right flank and surged towards goal before Dunne recovered with a fine tackle, but sent the ball straight to Owen who instinctively swept the ball into Brad Friedel’s bottom-right hand corner.
Seven of Rooney’s last eight goals have come from headers and Sunday’s latest effort was the perfect example of bravery under pressure as he powered the ball high into the net and out of Friedel’s reach with Villa’s defenders thundering towards him. The cross was a pefect one too from Antonio Valencia who was named as Man of the Match.
The victory was United’s fourth in the competition and gave United manager Alex Ferguson the 44th major trophy of his managerial career.
Caption:  Manchester United’s  Patrice Evra celebrates with teammates as he lifts the trophy after defeating Aston Villa during the English League Cup final soccer match. (Yahoo Sport)

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