A smash of the right boot and a thump with the head and Zlatan Ibrahimovic led Manchester United to another title, with the Swede scoring the opening goal and the winner in the EFL Cup final against Southampton on Sunday.
Wayne Rooney's replacement identified
Ibrahimovic, who came into this English season with several doubting his ability to cope with the searing pace of the game on these shores, had already batted away those doubts in some style, and by scoring goals in a wonderfully-entertaining EFL Cup final, the 35-year-old only emphasised his quality.
Had it not been for Ibrahimovic and his sheer brilliance and ability to find the back of the net, it would have been Southampton that took home the title.
Instead, Ibrahimovic had another one of those "shakes the head, just because he is so good" days, with the Swede scoring the opening goal of the cup final. And what a goal it was too as the ball rose over Steven Davis in the wall before curling past the diving Fraser Forster in goal.
Manchester United looked to have wrapped the match up when Jesse Lingard struck – a nicely-taken strike, placed into the bottom corner – but Southampton, who were the much better side in the first half, would come back.
Ibrahimovic was not the only one to end with a brace in this EFL Cup final, as Manolo Gabbiadini pulled the Saints back with two goals of his own – the first late in the first half and the second early in the second.
However, with the match seemingly headed for extra time, Ibrahimovic would have the final say, heading home from close range off a cross from Ander Herrera.
"Wherever I went, I won and I'm happy for it because I had a long career, I had a fantastic career," Ibrahimovic told MUTV. "Before coming to England I could have settled down and been happy with what I'd achieved.
"But that's me, I'm not satisfied, I want more and I'm still hungry, even at this age.
"This is my second trophy with the club [the other being the Community Shield] and I'm super happy. I came to win and I'm winning."
Watch the highlights of the cup final below
