Sir Alex Ferguson was the first to hail the stupendous goal-scoring form of Wayne Rooney this season after the Carling Cup had been locked away once more in the Manchester United trophy cabinet. But Ferguson did not forget another player who is becoming a vital component in United's quest for a glorious treble, even if he did not trouble the...

Michael Owen insists he is loving life at Manchester United. Owen will find out in the next 24 hours how long he will be sidelined for by the hamstring injury he suffered during Sunday's Carling Cup final.

Wayne Rooney hopes to be fit for England’s friendly against Egypt on Wednesday after scans showed no serious damage to his knee. The Manchester United striker suffered a knock in Sunday's Carling Cup final win over Aston Villa to spark fears over his availability for the international clash.

Michael Carrick is delighted to be a Manchester United history maker. Although they have won so much down the years, United had never successfully defended a cup competition prior to Sunday.

Red-hot Wayne Rooney fired United to Carling Cup glory - but the triumph came at a price. The Wembley hero, who scored the winner in the 2-1 victory against Aston Villa, is a doubt for England with the striker having a knee injury assessed by doctors.

Manchester United retained the Carling Cup by beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley. Check out a selection of snaps from the match by clicking on the gallery link on the right.

Nemanja Vidic claimed referee Phil Dowd was right not to send him off early on in the 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Aston Villa. The Reds defended their trophy thanks to goals from Michael Owen and substitute Wayne Rooney, but they fell behind early on when Vidic brought down Gabriel Agbonlahor to give away a penalty.

Find out how we rated the Manchester United players for their performance in the 2-1 Carling Cup final win over Aston Villa.

Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 to retain the Carling Cup final at Wembley - and we blogged it live. Check out a replay here.

Manchester United lifted the Carling Cup for the second successive season thanks to substitute Wayne Rooney's goal. Aston Villa took the lead through James Milner's early penalty before Michael Owen equalised. Owen then had to go off injured and his replacement Rooney headed the winner from Antonio Valencia's cross.

Check out all the action from this afternoon's Carling Cup final between Manchester United and Aston Villa with our live blog.

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed he is a big admirer of Martin O'Neill's 'Buy British' policy. The Aston Villa line-up which Manchester United face in Sunday's Carling Cup final could contain seven British players.

Wayne Rooney has deftly sidestepped the New Wembley goal curse. While United have generally struggled to find the net in open play in their Community Shield, FA Cup finals and semis plus Carling Cup finals at the stadium since it was re-opened in 2007, their striker hasn't had too many problems.

Manchester United will be without England defender Rio Ferdinand when they aim to create history by beating Aston Villa in the Carling Cup final on Sunday. Ferdinand is out after suffering a twinge in his back while Anderson (knee) is out for the season. Ryan Giggs (arm) is also out and Nani is suspended while Rafael is set to feature...

Manchester United and Aston Villa go head to head in the Carling Cup final on Sunday with the domestic season’s first major piece of silverware up for grabs at Wembley.

Michael Carrick has admitted he is a changed man thanks to life at Old Trafford. Carrick freely accepts that when he moved north from Tottenham in 2006 the thought of winning just one medal was enough.

Edwin Van der Sar has signed a new deal keeping him at Manchester United until June 2011.

Gary Pallister has made a habit of blacking out memories of his United defeats. But ask him to recall the 1994 League Cup final against Aston Villa and there's one moment that immediately comes back.

Arsene Wenger may have described it as a "non-trophy" but Sir Alex Ferguson insists the Carling Cup is a pot worth winning. Not even the knowledge Sunday's encounter with Aston Villa at Wembley will lack the raw emotion and drama of those two memorable semi-final confrontations with Manchester City last month can shake Ferguson's determination to add another trophy to...

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he is facing a Carling Cup goalkeeping conundrum. Edwin van der Sar is Ferguson's obvious first choice and, having played in both legs of the semi-final victory over Manchester City, would be regarded as a good bet to feature at Wembley against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Manchester United midfielder Anderson has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his cruciate ligament during Tuesday’s win over West Ham. Meanwhile, England skipper Rio Ferdinand will miss Sunday's Carling Cup final with a back injury and the international game with Egypt next Wednesday.

Manchester United midfielder Anderson has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his cruciate ligament during Tuesday’s win over West Ham. Meanwhile, England skipper Rio Ferdinand will miss Sunday's Carling Cup final with a back injury and the international game with Egypt next Wednesday.

Nemanja Vidic won't be the victim of a Sir Alex Ferguson selection blunder at Wembley this time around. Twelve months ago the Serbian defender was named on the bench against Tottenham in the Carling Cup final, but the United boss later admitted he had made a mistake by not starting him.

United extended their lead at the top of the Premier Reserve League to five points after a share of the spoils at Leigh. The Reds are now clear at the top of the table ahead of City but Liverpool are lurking menacingly in third place, six points adrift of United with three games in hand.

England manager Fabio Capello has reiterated to Michael Owen that the striker needs to gain more playing time with Manchester United if he wants to make the World Cup squad. Capello is in the process of narrowing down his options before selecting a 23-man squad for the finals in South Africa.

On this day 70 years ago a King was born, although no-one outside the immediate family was aware of it. You see, the child born in Aberdeen on February 24, 1940 was not of royal descent. He was the son of George, a simple fisherman, and his wife Robina. The new born boy was the youngest of seven. The baby...

THE last time Michael Owen played in a Carling Cup final at Wembley, he was firing Liverpool to victory against United. It was 2003 and Owen's 86th-minute strike put the seal on a 2-0 win and marked another highlight in a career that had hitherto known almost only success. Wind the clock forward seven years and the striker has hopes...

Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of Sunday’s Carling Cup final between Manchester United and Aston Villa and seems unlikely to be fit to captain England against Egypt at Wembley next week. The Reds defender had been expected to play in the 3-0 win over West Ham after a recent suspension.

Find out how we rated the Manchester United players for their performance in the 3-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford.

A brace from in-form Wayne Rooney and a late strike from substitute Michael Owen ensured United returned to winning ways against West Ham at Old Trafford. Rooney took his goals tally for the season to 27 thanks to two assists from Antonio Valencia before Owen made his mark just minutes after coming off the bench.

Anderson has admitted he considered leaving United while on a trip back to Brazil last month - but now remains committed to the Reds. He last played in the Carling Cup first leg derby defeat against City on January 19, and afterwards boss Sir Alex Ferguson rapped the 21-year-old for his below-par performance.

From Roots Hall to Wembley, Darren Fletcher's Carling Cup journey illustrates his rise as a Manchester United senior and key figure. The Reds midfielder's last start in the competition was at Southend in November 2006 when United were humiliated in Essex.