Ian Ladyman: Man United won an open contest at Wembley, but Newcastle have forgotten how to score

Newcastle seems like a team that has forgotten to score and therefore to win. Manchester United is currently the complete opposite. They don’t know how to lose. Based on these two things, this attractive cup final was decided.

This was not a well-defined soccer game. It was an open contest and this is what gave it a certain charm. Newcastle were brave enough to take the game to United in a way that not all teams do. His football was open and expansive and occasionally direct.

But United were smarter and more clinical, and their success was earned thanks to the experience and game savvy of someone like Brazil’s Casemiro, 31, at the heart of their midfield. And for the enduring skills and reflexes of their goalkeeper David de Gea.

On 31 minutes, De Gea brilliantly saved Allan Saint-Maximin at a time when Newcastle were on the rise. Six minutes later, United were two goals ahead and within striking distance of winning the game.

This is what good teams do. They maximize their opportunities, and when they need to, they hang in there and hang in there. From this perspective, United looked experienced here at Wembley, while Newcastle, try as they might, looked inexperienced.

Casemiro (left) and David De Gea were central as Man United lifted the Carabao Cup trophy

Meanwhile, Newcastle United revealed holes in their game plan that left them vulnerable.

Premier League form had looked and felt ominously portentous for Newcastle. A win since Boxing Day and three goals scored.

It was hardly a recipe for taking down an opponent who was running low on momentum and confidence, and ultimately it turned out to be too much to ask.

In his heart, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe will desperately wish this was different. But in his keen football brain, he may have seen it coming, too.

On the way home, Howe may have wondered, as all losing coaches do, what he or his players could have done differently. As always there are holes to find.

Certainly Newcastle’s set pieces could have been better. They did not take full advantage of the rather obvious physical superiority they had in this area. There were too many boot camp routines and not enough of them worked. When one came out, defender Dan Burn headed criminally wide.

Howe may also wonder if starting the hopelessly out of shape Callum Wilson in attack was the right call. He probably wasn’t. But these are pretty small holes to pick up. Ultimately, Newcastle, for all their progress this season, are a team with limitations remaining and some of them showed here at Wembley.

United is also far from where they will one day want to be. But their work in the transfer market has helped them get ahead and it has done so here. We know all about the impact of last summer’s arrivals, Casemiro was one of them, but here they were helped by two January loan signings, striker Wout Weghorst and late substitute Marcel Sabitser, who spent 25 minutes expertly helping shore up the game

Weghost will not be at United beyond this season. He lacks star quality. But the Dutchman is a workhorse, a capable link player and, most importantly, a crucial first line of United’s defence. He was worth his place this time.

Wout Weghorst proved to be a workhorse during his brief stint at Manchester United

Newcastle, by contrast, signed only Anthony Gordon in the winter window and were cup-tied for this game. In truth, they looked a bit light. They let Chris Wood go to Nottingham Forest when, in truth, they would have liked to dump the target man while chasing late game here.

So Newcastle are learning and making mistakes as they go. One day, in all probability, they will remember this day as a disappointment, but also as an important step in their transformation into a top-tier football club.

In goal Loris Karius did quite well. It would be hard to blame him for the second goal. But the Newcastle hierarchy is to blame in the chain of events that led to an out-of-practice goalkeeper being pushed into a game of this magnitude. Again, a lesson to learn.

On the pitch, Newcastle had 61 per cent of possession, but only two shots on goal. One of them was Maximin’s after half an hour while the second came in stoppage time. This told a story.

Loris Karius did a decent job arriving at Newcastle on short notice, but lesson to be learned

Had Newcastle scored during an initial period of dominance, United may have been left a little nervous.

Similarly, if a period of pressure had gotten them anything midway through the second period, they may have gifted us with one of the great cup finals. The atmosphere here was certainly ready for that. This was not an occasion that lacked color off the pitch.

But despite all the threat that Saint-Maximin’s run brings and Joelinton’s physical cues in midfield. almost everything Newcastle did was broken in and around a jumble of red bodies in and around the United penalty area.

United’s defense was excellent. Suffice to say, the Raphael Varane/Lisandro Martinez axis represents a slight improvement over Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

No matter how persistent the Newcastle threat, United never really seemed to relent. When Aaron Wan-Bissaka was brought in for Diogo Dalot, who had been booked, during the second half, the right-back quickly became the best and most important defensive influence on the pitch.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (left) was the best defensive influence on the field after coming on

Overall this was not a final won by United on the back of their traditional run and challenge. No, this was a victory that required far more mundane qualities, such as organization, hard work and discipline. But it was a victory that was nonetheless fully deserved.

The way they took two chances in quick succession to take control of the game was itself quite impressive.

We can expect United to progress impressively towards the remainder of a season that holds much promise. The effect this will have on Howe and Newcastle will now be crucial. This has been a season of progression, but they need to rediscover a bit of their drive sooner rather than later.

A lost cup final, the club’s ninth successive defeat at Wembley, and a top four finish in the Premier League will represent a real achievement. Fifth? Sixth? Seventh? Given the way the first half of the season played out, not so much.