Manchester United reached the EFL Cup final despite losing 2-1 to Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Thursday night.

Jose Mourinho’s men lead 2-0 after a comfortable win at Old Trafford in the first leg, yet Marco Silva’s men gave themselves a great chance when Tom Huddlestone fired home a first-half penalty to reduce their arrears.

The Tigers were right in the tie, yet Paul Pogba’s seventh goal of the campaign midway through the second half restored United’s two-goal lead.

Oumar Niasse scored his first goal for Hull late on to give Silva’s men hope, yet the victory wasn’t enough to see them through, so it will be Mourinho’s United who play Southampton at Wembley on February 26 after Claude Puel’s men got the better of Liverpool in the other semi-final.

It was far from a great display from United, but the cushion of a two-goal lead from the first leg proved too big a mountain to climb for Hull, who were excellent throughout and should take great confidence ahead of their battle to stave off relegation from the Premier League.

In what was an interesting encounter at the KCOM Stadium, here is What’s Hot and What’s Not as United reach Wembley…

HOT – Man United

It was far from plain sailing for Manchester United, but they are through to a ninth League Cup final.

Ultimately, that late Marouane Fellaini goal in the first leg at Old Trafford gave them the breathing space needed at the KCOM Stadium, as they the put in an uninspiring and lethargic display against the Tigers on Thursday.

Several United players underperformed, but the security of a two-goal lead from the first leg meant it was always going to be difficult for Hull, regardless of how well they played.

There will be slight concerns about the United performance, but the most important thing is that it will be them against Southampton at Wembley on February 26.

NOT – Chris Smalling

Another disappointing display from Chris Smalling must call into question his long-term future at United.

The England international was sloppy throughout and was one of many United players who struggled against the Tigers, and with Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones performing well at centre-half in recent weeks, and Eric Bailly returning from the African Cup of Nations shortly, Smalling really needed a solid display at the KCOM Stadium.

However, it was far from that, and he’s surely gone from first choice centre-back at the club to the lower echelons of the pecking order.

The 27-year-old must improve his form to get back to the level we’ve seen from him in the past, and indeed fight his way back into Mourinho’s best eleven.

HOT – Marco Silva

Despite the aggregate loss, Hull can take huge amounts of confidence into their battle to stay in the Premier League.

And manager Marco Silva deserves an enormous amount of credit for giving the Tigers hope.

The Portuguese came in when Hull looked certain for the drop, but they have been in all five games he has taken charge of, and has won all three matches at the KCOM Stadium.

Their only defeats have come away at Chelsea and Manchester United, and they gave both sides a stern test, which is a far cry from the Hull we saw for much of the first half of the campaign.

Their performance on Wednesday against United should give the whole club a boost ahead of a testing Premier League campaign.

NOT – Michael Carrick

Back-to-back lethargic performances from Michael Carrick must be of concern to Mourinho, who has heavily relied upon his 35-year-old midfielder from much of the season.

The former England international was hauled off at half-time in their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on January 15 after a lacklustre 45 minutes which saw the Reds dominate the midfield, and Carrick struggle to impose himself on proceedings.

And again, Carrick was sluggish in possession against the Tigers, allowing his opposite number Tom Huddlestone to get forward and produce several key passes to help the hosts get into goal-scoring positions.

It’s not time to panic, but the United midfielder will have to up his game in the coming weeks as he’s absolutely crucial to United, yet could see his place come under threat if his form doesn’t improve.