Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has told his players that reaching the League Cup final is "not an achievement" unless they go on to win the trophy.
United booked a showdown with Newcastle United for the first piece of silverware of the season after a 2-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday against Nottingham Forest secured a 5-0 aggregate victory over the two legs.
Marcus Rashford set up both goals in the second leg, assisting fellow substitute Anthony Martial for the first in the 73rd minute, before three minutes later laying on the pass for Fred to finish.
Passage through to the final gives United an opportunity to secure their first trophy since the 2016/17 season, when they won the League Cup and Europa League under Jose Mourinho.
"Finals, you play them to win. It's not an achievement to come into a final. We want to win," said Ten Hag, who demanded United maintain their focus on upcoming Premier League matches. United, who sit fourth in the table, have five league matches and a two-legged Europa League tie against Barcelona before the League Cup final.
"First, we have other things to do, and come back to the Premier League," the Dutchman said. "I told the players as well, you have to bring it every game. They have to bring the intensity and we are United. When you are a United player, you have to match the standards.
"We are looking forward, it's great to go to Wembley. To go and face Newcastle United, which is a great team, but it is far away for us now. I just said to everybody, we are looking forward to the Premier League and Saturday against Crystal Palace. We bury the cup and focus on the next week."
Man United v Forest player ratings
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MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: Tom Heaton – 7. A rare, but deserved, start. Saved well from Johnson on 33 and Danilo later on. Clean sheet again. Valued member of Ten Hag’s squad. A positive energy giver in the dressing room, rather than taker. Getty -
Aaron Wan Bissaka – 7. With a 3-0 lead from the first leg, it wasn’t a great game, especially in a slow first half. United took time to go ahead, but the right-back’s link up with Antony was one of the brighter moments. AP -
Raphael Varane – 8. Surridge booked for a tackle on the Frenchman which annoyed United’s players and worried United fans in case he was injured. He’s a vital player and will be crucial for any United success this season. Getty -
Lisandro Martinez – 8. A defender who played like a midfielder. He’s going to Wembley and Manchester United have 12 straight wins at home, with 31 goals scored and 12 clean sheets. Fine alongside Varane. AP -
Luke Shaw – 6. Busy night (more touches than any player on the pitch) trying – and not always successfully – to deal with Johnson. He’ll enjoy his first trip to Wembley with United fans since 2018. Getty -
Bruno Fernandes – 8. Beautiful pass with the outside of his foot to Shaw after 15. Another wondrous pass before the second goal. Switched to the right, where he’d played so well in the Manchester derby, after an hour. Lively, driven. Man of the match. AFP -
Casemiro – 8. More advanced than usual. Headed the ball towards goal after 29 when he found himself in space. Missed Johnson as he created Forest’s best first half chance. Beautiful curling ball to Weghorst on 45. Headed wide on 65. Still the game’s central figure. Booked after a slip. AFP -
Fred – 7. Booked after a challenge on Scarpa. Scored again at the Stretford End – it is becoming a habit. Combines so well with Casemiro. AFP -
Antony – 7. Positive start, he’s playing better. Lovely moments of skill, striking the ball off a high bounce on 37. Forest defended well. Getty -
Wout Weghorst – 6. Won his headers but little service in the first half. Casemiro’s ball saw him glance the ball with a header against the post. Went down having been kicked by McKenna. Should have had a penalty. Getty -
Alejandro Garnacho – 6. Final ball lacking but he still excites when he gets the ball. Beat Williams and got a shot on the near post on 61. Numerous niggles with Johnson and Williams, who pulled him back. Getty -
SUBS: Marcus Rashford (Garnacho 62’) – 8. Appealed – wrongly – for a penalty. Set up the opening goal. And the second for Fred. His confidence, his sharpness, his awareness. Brilliant cameo. Getty -
Jadon Sancho (Antony 63’) – 6. On his first appearance since October. Went in the number 10 role behind Martial. AFP -
Anthony Martial (Weghorst 63’) – 7. On as the central striker, where he put United ahead in the game (and 4-0 on aggregate). Just what his confidence needed. Getty -
Victor Lindelof (Casemiro 80’) – N/A. Good to stretch his legs and help keep the momentum going. Reuters -
Harry Maguire (Varane 80’) – N/A. Would have liked to have started this one, but his manager is going to do it his way. AFP -
NOTTINGHAM FOREST RATINGS: Wayne Hennessey, 6 – Other than his positioning for the second goal, the Welshman played well with a handful of important saves. AP -
Renan Lodi, 6 – Solid positioning and heading couldn’t help prevent Forest from conceding twice. AP -
Willy Boly, 4 – After looking like a brick wall for the first half hour, Boly’s mistakes led to both United goals. AP -
Scott McKenna, 5 – Should have conceded a penalty to go alongside a mixed display that featured a good aerial presence and some bad marking. PA -
Neco Williams, 4 – Poor and never really came close to closing down, or eliminating, the pressure that United created. AFP -
Gustavo Scarpa, 6 – Got stuck in, activite throughout and tracked back well, even if his timing could do with some work. Getty -
Remo Freuler, 5 – The 30-year-old was overrun in the middle of the park and couldn’t stamp his authority on proceedings. Getty -
Orel Mangala, 6 – Played aggressively, met the ball really well on multiple occasions and made some nice interceptions. AP -
Emmanuel Dennis, 5 – Managed to cut inside well but given that he had to play a few different roles, did seem quite overwhelmed. AFP -
Sam Surridge, 4 – The forward blocked a shot from his teammate, picked up a silly yellow card and blazed a huge chance over the bar. Poor. Reuters -
Brennan Johnson, 5 – After squandering a golden opportunity in the first half, created some promising moments down the wing - but not enough. PA -
SUBS: Danilo (Freuler 64') 6 – Forced a good save but in general didn’t have enough urgency to impact. AFP -
Alex Mighten (Johnson 64') 6 – Barely made an impression with a performance that served as a learning experience. PA -
Serge Aurier (Lodi 65') 5 – Showed some weakness for the second goal after initially being quite alert. Getty -
Oliver Hammond (Scarpa 86') N/A – Got stuck in with a few challenges but otherwise couldn’t impact. Reuters -
Detlef Esapa Osong (Surridge 86') N/A – A short cameo. AFP
Wednesday's match also saw the return of Jadon Sancho, who has been absent from the United squad since October. The England international, who was not selected for the World Cup, has been training individually for the past few months and came on for the final 27 minutes against Forest.
"I thought it was great, the fans they gave him love and I think he enjoyed it," Ten Hag said of Sancho's cameo. "He enjoyed it, to be back on the pitch. I've seen in the last couple of weeks at Carrington smiling and I hope he can keep the process going and have a huge contribution to the season."
Forest manager Steve Cooper admitted his team's chances of turning around the tie were slim following the first-leg defeat at the City Ground, but he said he was pleased with an improved performance.
"The damage was done really in the first leg. We couldn't say too much before tonight but we did have two great chances in the first half," he said.
"If we had taken one of those chances then who knows? But it was a good performance. We haven't played particularly well at the big away grounds but we did better tonight so that's a step forward."
