Michael Carrick labelled Zlatan Ibrahimovic as "incredible" after his brace fired Manchester United to victory against Southampton in the EFL Cup final.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward opened the scoring, before netting a late winner after Manolo Gabbiadini had brought the game back to 2-2 with a brace either side of the break in a dramatic Wembley encounter.

And Carrick was in awe of the 35-year-old's match-winning contribution after he secured a first major trophy for Jose Mourinho at United.

"He's incredible," he told Sky Sports. "People have been asking questions over the course of the season, but to play that many games to start with is some achievement.

"He's scored big goals, big, important goals - none bigger than [this one]. He's won us the cup."

However, Carrick admitted that United were below par as Southampton dominated for long periods before Ibrahimovic's decisive second goal.

"We weren't at our best," the midfielder said. "They had chances, we had chances, it was a terrific final.

"Sometimes finals can be quite difficult, but both teams went for it. There were plenty of chances and plenty of goals.

"We're delighted, obviously, to come away with the win. That's all that matters in finals, and we're so happy to get this trophy - hopefully this will kick us on for the rest of the season."