Red redemption
The last time Manchester United played in a Youth Cup final, Travis Binnion was in the Sheffield United dugout as assistant coach. He had already felt what it was like to lose in front of a hostile Old Trafford crowd. 11 years on, he finally got to experience what it was like to win the prestigious youth competition.
Whenever a side wins such an accolade, it is easy to presume they were simply blessed with an extremely talented group of individuals, but Binnion and his staff deserve huge credit for nurturing this set of youngsters and ensuring they didn't get carried away.
His substitutions turned the game in United's favour at a crucial moment and ultimately helped to win the trophy.
READ MORE: Manchester United player ratings as Alejandro Garnacho and Rhys Bennett star in Youth Cup win
United fans have another youngster to get excited about
It's so often the attacking talents who shine the brightest at youth level thanks to viral goals and eye-watering scoring stats, so it is a huge credit to Kobbie Mainoo that he still manages to attract attention in his central midfield role.
The 17-year-old has impressed all season with his combative performances in the midfield of the pitch, and in the Youth Cup final he shone again with the perfect balance of silk and steel.
His dazzling footwork bamboozled the Forest defence for the first chance of the game, and his physical presence in midfield was so often the downfall of the visitors' promising attacks.
The Stockport-born starlet still has lots to do if he is to make it in the professional game, but on the biggest night of his career so far, he was certainly up for the challenge.
Famous faces in record-breaking crowd
If playing in front of 67,492 fans wasn't daunting enough, United's youngsters also did so under the watchful eyes of club greats past and present.
As the broadcast cameras glanced towards the Directors' Box, they picked out Sir Alex Ferguson, Michael Carrick, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs, while current first-teamers Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly and David de Gea also watched on.
It was another reminder of how much the Youth Cup means to the club and a first real taste of the intense pressure which will come on a weekly basis if any of these youngsters make it into the first-team.
Man for the Big Occasion
It was billed as the Alejandro Garnacho show, and the Argentine certainly lived up to the billing with his match-winning moment.
The 17-year-old started rather quiet and looked rather frustrated as he fed off scraps in the first-half, but he stayed composed and kept his cool at a key moment of the match.
Joe Hugill pressed really well to force Forest into an error on the edge of their own box, but it would have gone unpunished if not for the energy shown by Garnacho.
He nipped in to win the penalty and then coolly dispatched it. His composure in such a high-pressure moment vindicated the Cristiano Ronaldo celebration which followed.
United coaches have praised his fitness levels this season, and once again they came good as he tormented a tired defence to wrap the game up with a third in stoppage time.
