Jose Mourinho has admitted that he solely has Zlatan Ibrahimovic to thank for getting him off the mark at Manchester United with his first piece of silverware.
The ex-Sweden international popped up with two more goals for the Red Devils in their EFL Cup final meeting with Southampton, scoring the opening goal and what proved to be the winner in a thrilling 3-2 affair.
Mourinho confessed to feeling "emotional" after seeing his side lift the trophy - the Red Devils' second major success at Wembley Stadium in the space of 12 months and the Portuguese's first since being sacked by Chelsea at the tail end of 2015.
"Honestly, Ibrahimovic won the game for us because he was outstanding. I can see a couple of performances - [Paul] Pogba was a similar level - but he was outstanding," he told Sky Sports News.
"In a match where the opponent was better than us for long periods - they deserved to go to extra time - he made the difference and he gave us the cup. I'm a bit emotional yes. It's not easy to win titles and so many times. It's not easy to cope with the pressure I put myself under.
"It was a game I was feeling the difficulty. I want to pay homage to Southampton and what they deserve. We have the cup in our hands and probably should be in extra time. Winning is always special. The day I don't get emotional when I win is the day to go home."
Mourinho has now won the League Cup four times, a joint-record along with Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson, with each of his previous triumphs prior to today coming during his time with Chelsea.
Daniel Lewis
