Luke Shaw insisted reaching the EFL Cup final means nothing for Manchester United if they do not go on to win the trophy.
A 2-0 victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday resulted in a comfortable 5-0 aggregate scoreline in the semi-final against Nottingham Forest, booking a date at Wembley against Newcastle United on February 26.
It hands United the chance to end a six-year trophy drought, having not celebrated success since an EFL Cup and Europa League double in the 2016-17 season.
The victory, secured thanks to second-half goals from Anthony Martial and Fred, also continues United's resurgence under the guidance of Erik ten Hag, but Shaw believes it is a meaningless accomplishment unless the trophy is lifted.
"There's no point going to a final if you don't win it," he told Sky Sports.
"It's a massive opportunity for us, it's where we want to be, playing in big games, in big finals, getting this club back to where it should be, challenging for trophies.
"We've now got a big one against Newcastle. They're an extremely good team and it's going to be a very tough game, but it's a big moment for us in where we want to go."
United have come close to success during recent years, including losing in the Europa League final to Villarreal in the 2020-21 campaign.
Bruno Fernandes, who captained United and played a full part in the second leg against Forest, is hoping for a better return this time.
"It's obviously really good. For me, it's been three years at the club, we reached one final and, unfortunately, we didn't win that one," he said.
"But now we have another chance. Before that, there are a lot of games coming so we have to focus on that.
"I'm really happy for the performance of the team, for the goals we created.
"We had more chances and we could have scored more but I think they defended very well. It was tough to get into their defence but we did it, we won and we've got into the final."
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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