The Manchester United supporters who delayed booking travel and accommodation in London for the final weekend of the month will be cursing the hiked prices. United's presence for the League Cup final was a foregone conclusion last week.
This was the calm before the eruption in a taxing month. United play Leeds United twice next week, a bloody Valentine before the 14th, and then there is the glamorous Europa League play-off with Barcelona. That is without mentioning a first domestic cup final in almost five years.
February is a month that will have a significant bearing on United's season and the only onerous aspect of their second leg with Nottingham Forest was the inclement weather. United never froze and warmed up in the second-half.
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While United's midfield is bare, the attack is teeming. Jadon Sancho's name was aired for the first ever time by United supporters and he was warmly applauded as he warmed up. He emerged for his first appearance in 102 days as a second-half substitute, again to his name echoing around the stadium he last played at on October 19.
Anthony Martial was also back after a two-and-a-half-week absence, timely ahead of seven matches in 22 days. Martial scored within 10 minutes of his introduction for his sixth goal of the season. His namesake Elanga, worthy of a late enquiry from Barcelona in the transfer window, did not make the bench.
Four starts in 14 days appeared to take their toll on the lethargic Wout Weghorst and Martial remains the sharpest option at the tip of the arrow. United need him to stay sharp over the next four months of a season he has already missed 15-and-a-half weeks through four separate injuries.
United have won their last 12 games at Old Trafford and Newcastle were the last to leave with a point. Brighton remain the only domestic side to have returned to the motorway victorious.
Erik ten Hag played with fire, starting several regulars and resisting a single change at the pause with United's 3-0 aggregate advantage still intact. Raphael Varane was felled by Sam Surridge in the dying embers of the first-half but there were no other scares. Casemiro stayed on beyond the 70th minute.
Whereas Forest were deprived of Jesse Lingard, injured in the warm-up, Ten Hag could call upon Sancho, Martial and Marcus Rashford off the bench with half-an-hour remaining and the game goalless. 13 minutes later, United were 2-0 up and the game was won.
Tom Heaton repelled a Brennan Johnson attempt and Surridge unwittingly blocked a goalbound effort by Emmanuel Dennis at 0-0. Weghorst nodded the ball against the upright in a first-half that was only interesting for Aaron Wan-Bissaka's squad number change. The '9' came off.
The only contentious and ultimately inconsequential issue all evening came with the incompetent officiating when the referee David Coote failed to spot a blatant penalty on Weghorst. More remarkable was VAR's failure to intervene and advise Coote that he had erred. 'Vision awaiting repairment' is more suitable for the VAR acronym.
Marcel Sabitzer, sat in the directors' box, should be assured of a matchday squad place at Wembley on February 26 without participating in the competition. He experienced a nerveless evening in contrast to Weghorst's attendance for the stirring Manchester derby last month.
The matchgoers were singing about going to Wembley as they clicked through the turnstiles and now a first final there since May 2018 is assured. It is a symmetrical occasion for United's opponents Newcastle, whose last final was the 2-0 surrender to United in the 1999 FA Cup final.
Polite applause greeted the final whistle. United were never going to embark on an ardent huddle or euphoric victory lap for the League Cup. This is the way it should be at a successful or success-starved United.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Steve Bruce, manager and captain the first time United lifted the League Cup in 1992, generously signed autographs at full-time. Bruno Fernandes, the incumbent captain, and majestic on the ball, was the last off the pitch.
United supporters dusted off their Alan Shearer ditty as early as the fourth minute. Forest were not deemed worthy of a rendition of the throwback lyric 'We hate Nottingham Forest'. Ten Hag's mind may have been on Forest but the fans had Newcastle in their sights.
Some of the United players showcased some exhibition-style showboating, with Antony demonstrating the 'Anturny'. His telepathy with Wan-Bissaka was impressive again, in contrast to his spikier collaboration with fellow Portuguese speaker Diogo Dalot.
As in the first leg, a rendition of Roy Keane's chant segued into booing from the Forest fans still unforgiving of his defection 30 years ago. The League Cup was the only silver that eluded Keane's grasp during his 12-and-a-half garlanded years with United.
It was more competitive in the stands than on the pitch, with United fans extolling Wayne Rooney, once of Forest's geographical rivals Derby. Rooney captained United in their last League Cup final six years ago.
United have a cup final train to catch again.
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