Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late winner secured the EFL Cup and gave Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho his first success since his summer appointment, as brave Southampton were beaten at Wembley.

Southampton were the better side for most of this final but were left heartbroken by a controversial offside decision - and the inspiration provided by the 35-year-old Swede as he took his tally to 26 goals this season.

Saints' striker Manolo Gabbiadiani saw a goal contentiously ruled out before United took an undeserved two-goal lead through Ibrahimovic's superb 19th minute free-kick and Jesse Lingard's measured finish seven minutes before the interval.

Southampton, as their performance merited, were on terms with two predatory strikes from Gabbiadini either side of half-time.

Oriel Romeu hit the woodwork before Ibrahimovic stole in on Ander Herrera's cross three minutes from time to give United a victory that looked beyond them for long spells.

Reaction from Wembley as Manchester United beat Southampton
Mourinho back in winners' enclosure

Mourinho was a subdued figure throughout this final - perhaps unable to disguise his discontent at what was a wretched performance by United for the most part at Wembley.

Inside, however, he will be ecstatic at holding silverware aloft once more, making himself a success with United in his first season at Old Trafford and performing the same trick he used at Chelsea to ease any pressure on himself and reassure supporters they have a winner at the helm.

Mourinho made it his business to target this trophy in his first season at Chelsea, beating Liverpool in the 2005 final, and it was his first success in his second spell at Stamford Bridge as Spurs were beaten here at Wembley in the 2015 final.

He is now level with Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough as the most successful manager in the League Cup after his fourth triumph and takes another step on the road to rehabilitation after his sacking at Chelsea last season.

He had a warm, sympathetic exchange with his Southampton counterpart Claude Puel at the final whistle, the realist Mourinho probably realising United were outplayed for large portions of a highly entertaining final.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho speaks to Southampton boss Claude Puel at the end of the EFL Cup final
Jose Mourinho is the first manager in Manchester United's history to win a major trophy in his first season
It will not mention that in the record books, though.

Mourinho is back among the silverware as this serial winner puts his name on United's honours board.

Zlatan the talisman

Ibrahimovic was Manchester United's man with the Midas touch, dragging them from a mire of mediocrity with his 25th and 26th goals of the season, as he secured his first success in England.

He is the leader of this developing United side, no argument brooked as team-mates stood back to let him send a 19th-minute free-kick past Southampton keeper Fraser Forster from 25 yards - although the effort was within reach of the giant stopper.

And in the closing moments, when Wembley looked for a match-winner to decide a thrilling final and prevent extra time, it was Ibrahimovic who found space among tiring Southampton defenders to power Ander Herrera's cross past Forster from six yards.

It was a goal that cements his cult status among United fans and confirms Mourinho's masterstroke in luring him to Old Trafford in one of the greatest free transfers the Premier League has seen.

United looked jaded as they were in Europa League action in Saint-Etienne on Thursday, while Saints had a two-week break - Zlatan helped refresh tired legs.

Lady luck deserts superb Saints

Southampton's players dropped to their knees in desolation at the final whistle - and who could blame them after a superb performance left them with nothing but heartbreak?

They will complain long and hard about the decision to rule out Gabbiadini's first-half effort - a poacher's strike ruled out for offside against Ryan Bertrand, who was way out of the action at the far post while the Italian was clearly onside.

They shrugged off that disappointment to restore parity either side of half-time through the predatory Gabbiadini but had no luck whatsoever, Romeu's header bouncing back off the post with David de Gea well beaten.

Manolo Gabbiadiani has scored five times in three appearances for Southampton since joining the club
Manolo Gabbiadiani has scored five times in three appearances for Southampton since joining from Napoli
De Gea saved well from James Ward-Prowse and Dusan Tadic and United had several near-misses before snatching victory right at the death.

Southampton can be proud of one of the finest performances in defeat the modern Wembley has seen - but that will be no consolation to Puel's devastated players.

Man of the Match - Zlatan Ibtrahimovic (Manchester United)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates Manchester United's victory over Southampton in the EFL Cup final
Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the attacking threat which proved wrong those who felt his days as a big-game player were over. Lovely goal from a free-kick to open the scoring and a great header to clinch the trophy.
'This is what I came for' - reaction

Manchester United match-winner Zlatan Ibrahimovic: "This is a team effort. This is what I came for - to win, and I am winning. The more I win the more satisfied I get.

"You appreciate it more the older you get. Wherever I have gone I have won. I think this is trophy number 32 for me. This is what I predicted. My friend, I keep doing it. I'm enjoying it in England."

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: "Honestly, Ibrahimovic won the game for us because he was outstanding. I can see a couple of performances - Pogba similar level - but he was outstanding.

"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."

Southampton manager Claude Puel: "We came back with quality. Perhaps we deserve better. It's football and congratulations to Manchester United and their players.

"Manolo Gabbiadini scored three good goals [including the disallowed goal]. There's a lot of disappointment of course. We had a fantastic game without the reward. I hope we can continue on this level."

Why Lingard loves Wembley - the stats

Jesse Lingard has scored in each of his past three appearances at Wembley for Manchester United (2016 FA Cup Final, Community Shield and League Cup final this season).
Jose Mourinho has won all four of the League Cup finals he has contested (2005, 2007, 2015 and 2017).
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now scored six goals in his past five domestic cup finals (four goals in four games with PSG).
These were Ibrahimovic's 25th and 26th goals of the season in all competitions, the most of any Premier League player this season.
Ibrahimovic's opening goal was the first Southampton have conceded in the League Cup this season, going 468 minutes without shipping a goal in the competition.
Manolo Gabbiadini is the fourth Italian to score in the League Cup final (Fabrizio Ravanelli, Roberto di Matteo and Fabio Borini the others).
Gabbiadini is the second player to score twice in a League Cup final against Manchester United after Dean Saunders.
Manchester United have won each of their past six games at Wembley.
Only Liverpool (8) have won the League Cup more times than Manchester United (5).

Jonathan Toews hat trick

Chris Hine
Chicago Tribune

When Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville says one of his lines is "dangerous," he usually is referring to the second unit of Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov.

It had been a while since Quenneville broke that word out for captain Jonathan Toews' line.

But Quenneville dusted it off Tuesday morning when talking about the pulsating combination Toews has formed the last few weeks with Nick Schmaltz and Richard Panik.

"That line has been very dangerous — all three of them," Quenneville said. "Their games have been good."

Turns out, that was quite an understatement. Their chemistry was flat out combustible Tuesday night in a thrilling 5-3 victory over the Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Toews notched his fourth career hat trick and his second career five-point game as Panik and Schmaltz each added a goal. In the process, the line helped pull the Hawks to within five points of the Central Division-leading Wild and kept making the case to general manager Stan Bowman that a major trade for a top-line winger may not be necessary as the March 1 trade deadline approaches.

Schmaltz added two assists, including a flashy behind the back pass to set up Toews' second goal in the third period, while Panik notched an assist to go with his 16th goal.

"Sometimes you just have nights like that," Toews said. "Either way it's a lot of fun to play with 'Schmaltzy' and 'Panner' right now the way they're working, the way they're holding onto the puck. It's nice for us to get some results. It definitely changes the way you see yourself and your confidence."

It was just two weeks ago, before the Hawks beat the Wild on Feb. 8, that Toews was making a plea to keep the same linemates beyond a few games. Before February, the season had been a rough one for Toews, who wasn't posting his normal scoring numbers. Tuesday showed what a Toews line could do if given time to jell. Toews now has six goals and seven assists in his last seven games.

Perhaps no play was a better example of that cohesion than the fourth goal the Hawks scored in the third period.

Schmaltz was skating behind the net with the puck when he dropped a behind-the-back pass without really knowing where Toews was. He just trusted Toews would be there.

Toews was, and he "shoveled" the puck, past Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk for a 4-2 lead 8 minutes, 23 seconds into the period.

"I just kind of threw it to an area …" Schmaltz said. "I don't know how he got it in but it was a good finish by him."

Added Toews: "I was getting ready for him to go around the net to try to get my forehand on it and all of a sudden the puck was just sitting there. He fooled everybody. … It was kind of representative of how we're feeling as a line right now."

There were other inspired plays like throughout the night such as Toews setting up Panik for a goal with a pass from behind the net in the second, Schmaltz taking a Toews faceoff victory and whirring the puck past a clueless Dubnyk in the third and Toews fighting for position to put home a rebound for the first goal of the night.

"Things are going our way now," Panik said. "I think we found the right chemistry and we know where we should be on the ice."

Iowa beats Indiana in OT 96-90

BY LUKE MEREDITH
AP Sports Writer

In one of Iowa's most hectic games of the year, senior Peter Jok's calmness at the stripe proved to be the difference.

Jok scored 35 points as Iowa rallied from 13 down to beat Indiana 96-90 in overtime on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Jok made a program record 22 free throws for the Hawkeyes (15-13, 7-8 Big Ten), who made 39 free throws to Indiana's 16.

He hit a pair of free throws and two more off a subsequent steal, putting Iowa ahead 84-81 with 2:14 left in OT. The Hawkeyes then forced another turnover, and Jok made it six straight free throws and an 86-81 Hawkeyes lead.

"He's a guy that obviously wants the ball, and we want to get him the ball," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Jok, who hit just six shots from the field but only missed one free throw. "He was really, really special."

Tyler Cook's dunk with 59 seconds left sealed it for Iowa, which came back from a 17-4 deficit to start play.

Iowa took its first lead, 73-71, on a Cook 3-point play with 2:10 left in regulation, but Josh Newkirk's free throws with 25.6 seconds to go brought the Hoosiers even at 75-all. Cook missed a jumper at the buzzer to push the game into overtime.

Robert Johnson scored 19 points with seven assists and Thomas Bryant finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana (15-13, 5-10), which committed 22 turnovers in losing its fifth straight.

"It's disheartening that we play as hard as we play — we make our mistakes, as do the other teams — to not have it go our way. I mean, they're working their tail off, preparation-wise, practice-wise. We were fresh. We were energetic," Indiana coach Tom Crean said.

BIG PICTURE:

Indiana: The Hoosiers will finish with a losing record in the Big Ten a year after winning the regular season conference title. The NCAA Tournament could also be in the rearview mirror as well, barring a late-season push that recent results don't suggest is coming.

Iowa: How upset was coach Fran McCaffery about Iowa's poor start? He used 12 different players in the first four minutes in search of a spark. But the young Hawkeyes, led yet again by their savvy senior, eventually found their way for a victory the program badly needed heading into 2017-18. "The beautiful thing was, it was so many people. There were a number of times when we could have packed it in," McCaffery said. "We really had to fight to win this game."

KEY SEQUENCE

Indiana got 3s from three different players and a Bryant turnaround jumper in four possessions to jump ahead 66-58 with 4:46 left. Iowa answered with six straight points in just 32 seconds — and Cook's alley-oop with 2:46 left tied it at 70.

THE NUMBERS

James Blackmon Jr. had 18 points for Indiana and Josh Newkirk added 11. But Blackmon, Newkirk, Johnson and Juwan Morgan all fouled out. ... Iowa made just five 3s. ... Cook had 14 points for the Hawkeyes and Nicholas Baer added 10 points with seven rebounds.

HE SAID IT

"Don't waste your time asking me. Because the last thing I'm going to do is put myself in any situation for any fallback or any pushback. Not doing that," Crean said to reporters about the fact that Iowa shot 28 more free throws than Indiana.

President Trump appears on the verge of reversing protections put in place by the Obama administration to stop discrimination against transgender students in schools, officials said Tuesday.

Civil rights advocates said that the possible rollback of protections, which could come as soon as Wednesday, would represent a major step backward after the enormous progress made by gay and transgender people in recent years.

The administration signaled that an announcement was imminent on the question of whether transgender students should be able to use the bathroom of their choosing — and that Mr. Trump could well come down differently from his predecessor, President Barack Obama, a forceful advocate for transgender students.

Mr. Trump believes that “this is a states’ rights issue and not one for the federal government,” Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday.

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Mr. Spicer said that officials at the Justice and Education Departments were reviewing a policy put out by the Obama administration last May that directed public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. The Obama administration said that transgender students fell under the sex discrimination measures in federal funding under Title IX.

At the same time, the Trump administration expects to announce its legal position on a separate case before the Supreme Court brought by a transgender teenage boy in Virginia who was barred from using the boys’ bathroom at his school, Mr. Spicer said. The Obama administration had backed the boy’s position.

Mr. Spicer’s assertion that the transgender question is “not one for the federal government” conflicts squarely with the view of Obama administration officials, who saw gay and transgender issues as perhaps the biggest civil rights fight of the modern era.

Vanita Gupta, who led the civil rights division at the Justice Department at the end of the Obama administration, said that the indication that Mr. Trump’s administration might back away from transgender protections was troubling.

“To cloak this in federalism ignores the vital and historic role that federal law plays in ensuring that all children (including L.G.B.T. students) are able to attend school free from discrimination,” she said in an email.

Transgender advocates said that they worried that undoing the protections put in place by the Obama administration would open the door to further discrimination against transgender students — a group that is already the frequent target of harassment and hate crimes — and would create widespread confusion in public schools about what is allowed under federal policies.

Mara Keisling, who leads the National Center for Transgender Equality, called the prospect of a retrenchment “outrageous,” and Rob Flaherty, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, called it “a hugely consequential decision.”

Mr. Trump gave conflicting signals during the presidential campaign about where he stood on the transgender question.

He said last April, for instance, that he supported the rights of transgender people to “use the bathroom they feel is appropriate,” and he said that Caitlyn Jenner, perhaps the most famous transgender person in the country, could use whichever bathroom at Trump Tower she wanted.

But when the Obama administration put in place its anti-discrimination policy on transgender students weeks later, Mr. Trump indicated that he thought it had overreached and that the matter was better left to the states than the federal government.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is widely seen as hostile to gay and transgender rights, and his record on civil rights issues in general came under sharp attack from Democrats during his bruising confirmation fight this month.

Mr. Sessions, pressed at his confirmation hearing about his past votes in the Senate against measures on gay rights protection, pledged that “I understand the demands for justice and fairness made by our L.G.B.T. community. I will ensure that the statutes protecting their civil rights and their safety are fully enforced.”

The Justice Department declined to comment on the issue Tuesday.

The department is eager to move quickly in laying out its legal position on transgender policy to avoid confusion in cases now moving through the courts, according to an administration official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

One filing deadline is coming up this Thursday in the case now before the Supreme Court involving the Virginia transgender boy, Gavin Grimm. He sued the Gloucester County School Board two years ago after the board refused to allow him to use the boys’ bathroom and told him he could use a separate bathroom in a converted janitors closet. The Obama administration had rejected that type of accommodation as unacceptable and discriminatory.

The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in the boy’s favor in August. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case next month, but Mr. Spicer’s comments at the White House on Tuesday indicated that the federal government would withdraw its support for the boy by the time the Supreme Court considered the case.

In a separate case in Texas, the Justice Department said earlier this month that it was dropping its challenge to a nationwide injunction imposed by a judge that blocked the Obama administration’s guidance to schools last year on allowing transgender students to choose their bathrooms.

The procedural move in the Texas case indicated at least a partial retreat on the issue, but civil rights advocates say they believe that the Trump administration plans to backpedal much more severely by dropping Mr. Obama’s transgender policy for schools entirely.

James Essecks, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is representing Gavin, said that while he was hopeful that the Supreme Court would detail clear legal protections for transgender students, the apparent retreat by the new administration was troubling nonetheless.

“It’s astounding to me that this administration would decide that it’s going to stop standing up for young children in crisis,” he said. “That’s a bad development any way you look at it.”

South Korea will take lead in life expectancy

 By Meera Senthilingam, CNN

Average life expectancy will increase globally by 2030, both at birth and at the age of 65, according to a new study.

The two time points help define when lifespans in a population are extending due to improvements in maternal and child health as well as improved adult health.
The average for women at birth will exceed 85 years in many countries, but South Korea is projected to lead the way with a life expectancy of 90.8 years.
In 2015, global average life expectancy at birth was 71.4 years, according to the World Health Organization.

Unhealthier lifestyles among men, including higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, have long meant a greater life expectancy for women, say the researchers.
Life expectancy among men born in South Korea in 2030 is therefore predicted to be 84.1 years, according to the study, published Tuesday in the Lancet.
But the study authors believe this gap between the sexes is now shrinking as lifestyles become more similar.

"The biggest result is that ... at least one group is going to break the 90-year barrier," said Majid Ezzati, professor of global environmental health at Imperial College London, referring to the predictions among South Korean women. Ezzati led the study and highlighted that many experts had believed the average would never exceed 90.

"This shows that even if there is a limit to longevity, we are nowhere near it," he said. "We should be planning for more life."

The analysis included data on mortality and longevity patterns from 35 industrialized nations, including both high-income countries and emerging economies.

In Europe, French women and Swiss women are predicted to have the highest life expectancy, with averages of 88.6 and 84 years respectively.

Among predictions for high-income countries, the lowest life expectancy at birth is likely to be in the US, with an average of 83.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men -- similar to Mexico and Croatia.

"They still have relatively high rates of young and middle-age mortality," Ezzati told CNN, referring to the countries with lower life expectancies. "People have a relatively high risk of dying in their 40s or 50s."

There are many reasons for deaths in this age range, Ezzati said, including greater obesity rates and their associated health risks as well as homicides and road accidents. Lack of universal health care in countries like the US is also thought to play a role, the study says.

The lowest life expectancy projections overall were for women in Macedonia and men in Serbia, according to the study.

"A lot of this is driven by inequality, (which) brings down the national average," Ezzati said.

The research team calculated life expectancy using data on the age at which people die across a population. High childhood mortality rates and greater rates of death among young people, for example due to injuries and violence, will bring an average down.

In contrast, greater equality, more comprehensive health care and healthy diets and lifestyles embedded in a culture can bring this up -- as with South Korea.

"Places like South Korea and some emerging economies, Switzerland and Canada do very well," Ezzati said. "South Korea has had remarkable success."

Ezzati believes the secret to South Korea's success has been the country's investment in childhood nutrition, education and technology as well as low blood pressure, low levels of smoking and good access to health care.

"An equitable way of taking up this knowledge has been the driver," he said.

Meanwhile, countries like Japan, long revered for their longevity, are expected to see just small increases in life expectancy. "The Japanese story has started to come to an end," Ezzati said, adding that while the Japanese culture is known for healthy diets and active lifestyles, "that's beginning to change."

"They still have low obesity and low blood pressure ... and are still doing well, but some things are catching up," he said, highlighting Western influences such as diet.

"South Korea has caught up with Japan as its standard of living has increased," said Sarah Harper, professor of gerontology at the University of Oxford. "But in many parts of Asia, young people are eating Western diets. ... The (previously) healthy diet may not be sustained as young people reach older ages."

The findings are hoped to help countries learn healthy changes by example and, more important, to help policymakers prepare for their populations' changing demographics.

"What South Korea has done goes completely against some Western countries ... against the prosperity agenda," Ezzati said, adding that we need to think about "social care, planning and pensions in an aging population."

Harper, said the new projections are, "very much in line with what other projections are showing." She agreed that countries in Asia are leading the way but are also seeing change among their younger population.

She further agreed that inequality is likely to be an underlying factor for why some high-income countries are seeing lower life expectancy predictions. "The US spends more of its budget on health care than any other country in the world. Some say this is due to the huge amount of inequality," she said. "The Scandinavian countries do well. ... They're counted as more equal and tend to have higher life expectancy outcomes."

Criticizing Trump


A young, Black conservative leader was fired after his op-ed slamming Trump surfaced.


No, this is not a bad episode of ‘The Apprentice.’ A young, Black conservative has been fired from his job at the Department of Housing and Urban Development because he did not agree with Trump.

Shermichael Singleton, a political appointee at the Department of Housing and Urban Development was fired for an op-ed he wrote before the election that criticized then-candidate Donald Trump, according to CNN.

In an October op-ed for The Hill, Singleton, who was at the time a Republican consultant, said Trump was taking the GOP to a “new moral low.”



“We allowed that hostile takeover to happen on our watch,” he wrote. “This individual recognized a moment of great disparity in the Republican base and, like cancer, attacked and spread, consuming everything in his path.”

Singleton’s piece criticized Trump’s rhetoric about African-Americans during the campaign. After the election, the 26-year-old worked with Ben Carson during his confirmation process to become HUD secretary. Singleton then joined the department as a senior adviser.

But reality struck on Wednesday when he was brought into the chief of staff’s office and fired, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Singleton was informed that he was being dismissed because of the op-ed and was escorted from the building, according to the source, who also said Carson was surprised by the move and only learned of it after the fact.

A HUD spokesperson confirmed Singleton no longer works at the department.

Singleton declined to comment. The White House and the HUD chief of staff didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Singleton expressed concerns about Trump in his pre-election op-ed regarding Trump’s approach to addressing issues of high concern to many Black voters.

“Hearing the nominee of my party ignore these harsh truths and opt for words like ‘law and order’ sounds like a coded message from an era in our history that should stay in the past,” Singleton wrote.

In his piece, he added:

“Donald Trump portrays our inner cities is as if they are the ailments of American society and should be exterminated and swiftly removed,” Singleton wrote in the op-ed. “He never mentions the many hardworking, good and honest people who are simply trying the best they can to achieve their share of the American dream.”

Jennifer Lopez on her relationship with Drake
by : Erin Jensen

Thanks to detective and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, we have more insight to the whatever is going on between Jennifer Lopez and Drake. Lopez was a guest on Tuesday's episode of the daytime talk show and it didn't take long for the inquisitive DeGeneres to delve into JLo's love life.

She asked if Lopez's Valentine's Day plans included Drake, whom she was seen cuddling with in matching Instagrams that both artists posted in December. There were also reports Drake gifted JLo one diamond necklace.

Lopez was quick to remind DeGeneres that the rapper is "off on tour right now," which didn't fend off follow-up questions. "But you were songwriting with him, right 'songwriting'?" DeGeneres asked making air quotes.

"We did a song together if that's what you're 'asking,'" Lopez responded before addressing the cozy photograph. "We weren't writing a song right at that moment," she reasoned. "We were just hanging out."


While on the show, Lopez also addressed the belief she has a thing for younger men, sharing selecting a partner "has nothing to do with age."

"If there's somebody older, they're older," she told DeGeneres. "If they're younger, they're younger. It doesn't matter. It's whether or not I'm attracted to them or not, attracted to their spirit, their soul..."

Drake reunites with Nicki Minaj ahead of pop-up club opening
As JLo mentioned the One Dance singer is currently on a European tour. On Monday, he performed in Dublin where it seems another Rihanna was on his mind. Which makes sense, since it was her 29th birthday.  "...It's somebody's birthday today," Drake can be seen telling the audience in a NSFW fan video shared on Twitter. "Somebody I have a lot of love for and a lot of respect for. So instead of singing Happy Birthday, we just gonna do this."