*Substitute Wayne Rooney made the decisive contribution in the Carling Cup final with a late winner as Manchester United beat Aston Villa at Wembley.*

Rooney entered the action just before half-time to replace the injured Michael Owen and enabled Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to come from behind and retain the trophy.

Aston Villa’s Wembley showpiece started perfectly when James Milner put them ahead from the spot after five minutes following Nemanja Vidic’s foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Villa clearly felt referee Phil Dowd should have sent Vidic off after he hauled down Agbonlahor as he closed in on goal - and their burning sense of injustice was fuelled even further when United quickly restored equality.

Richard Dunne lost possession to Dimitar Berbatov, and when he attempted to repair his error he could only find Owen, who slipped a perfect finish past Villa keeper Brad Friedel.

Owen looked sharp in front of watching England coach Fabio Capello, but his lingering hopes of persuading the Italian to include him in his World Cup plans for South Africa may have ended when he pulled up as he ran into the area and was forced to leave the action.

It was hardly good news for Villa as it allowed Rooney to come on, with the striker clearly desperate to make an impact after starting on the bench.

Ji-Sung Park hit the post for United before Rooney rose to head the outstanding Antonio Valencia’s cross past Friedel with 16 minutes left.

Rooney almost extended United’s victory margin when he hit the woodwork with another header, but his amazing season continued as his 28th goal of the campaign gave Ferguson another piece of silverware.

Vidic was fortunate to see Emile Heskey’s header deflect off him on to the bar late on, but by that stage United were firmly in control and well on the way to victory.

It was a bitter disappointment for Villa, who started so promisingly, but they tired as the game wore on at Wembley and United ultimately deserved their triumph.

Ferguson decided to rest Rooney, who has been in devastating form, from his starting line-up and give Owen his opportunity in a Wembley final that was to drag the England striker from one end of the emotional scale to the other.

Villa’s ploy was always going to be to test United with pace and power up front - and it was rewarded with the early goal boss Martin O’Neill must have craved.

Agbonlahor was too quick for Vidic and the United defender had already tugged at his shirt before hauling him down.

Referee Dowd did not punish Vidic further, despite the fact that he was the last United defender and flirted with a red card, and Milner steered the penalty coolly past Tomasz Kuszczak.

Villa’s lead only lasted seven minutes, and it was an error from the normally reliable Dunne that led to United’s swift equaliser.

Dunne lost possession to Berbatov, and even though he recovered he could only divert the ball into the path of Owen, who steered an expert precision finish low past Friedel.

The game was remarkably open, with Milner a prominent figure, and he brought a fine diving save from Kusczcak with a 20-yard effort.

Owen had looked sharp, but his injury curse struck again as half-time approached when he pulled up as he raced for possession with Dunne in the area. It was clear immediately that his game was over and he walked away disconsolately to be replaced by Rooney.

United almost ended an enthralling first 45 minutes in the lead when Park struck a post after James Collins could only partially clear Valencia’s cross.

And United posed the first danger after the break when Friedel saved well from Michael Carrick, whose shooting had been very erratic up to that point.

The second half was much more of a cat-and-mouse affair, but predictably it was Rooney who gave United the advantage when he struck with 16 minutes left.

Berbatov cleverly played in Valencia, whose cross left Rooney with work to do, but not only did he win the aerial battle with the taller Collins, he sent a towering header high beyond Friedel into the top corner.

And the England striker almost repeated the feat three minutes later when Valencia was once more the provider, but he sent a more powerful header against the post.

Villa responded by introducing the giant figure of John Carew for Carlos Cuellar - and his presence almost forced Vidic into an error that resulted in an equaliser.

Stewart Downing’s cross caused confusion, and Vidic was lucky to see Heskey’s header bounce off his shoulder on to the bar.

United had one last anxious moment when another Downing cross was just out of Dunne’s reach at the back post, but Ferguson’s side held out for a deserved victory.