Manchester United maul Barnsley to book last-16 cup berth
SEVENTH HEAVEN: Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the game. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.
DAYS on which everything goes right for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United are so rare that supporters have learned to enjoy them when they come, and this routine passage in the EFL Cup was just one such night.
Ludicrously, given the restructured competition, United are now in the last-16 of the competition after playing precisely one game, but, again, their beleaguered manager is in no place to turn up his nose to such gifts.
More importantly, and given the obvious caveat about League One opposition in Barnsley, this was another impressive outing from young winger Alejandro Gaernacho while Marcus Rashford continued in goalscoring form. Both scored two apiece, as did Christian Eriksen.
Garnacho and Rashford were on the mark in the first half with Antony, starting for the first time since early May, also scoring from a penalty which he won himself. It was such a good night for ten Hag that the Dutchman should have pulled over on his way home to buy a lottery ticket.
Ten Hag’s eventual fate will, of course, be decided by far better opponents than this but, as long as his record in domestic cups continues in this fashion, he may hold onto the manager’s job for some time yet.
After all, the winner of the EFL Cup two seasons ago and last season’s FA Cup, ten Hag has now won 19 and lost just two cups ties in his time as United manager, a record not to be sniffed at, given their league problems.
Rashford, without a goal in 12 games before scoring in the weekend win at Southampton, claimed an important early opener that settled inevitable nerves inside Old Trafford, for players and fans alike.
Having seen one devastating attack end in a blocked shot, Rashford opened the scoring on 16 minutes, although the goal owed much to the vision of Garnacho. The young Argentinian received a pass from Eriksen and switched it across the field for Rashford who took the ball in full stride, beating Marc Roberts in the process.
With only goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina to beat, Rashford ruthlessly buried the ball into the goal from 15 yards, the sort of finish of a forward who appears to have regained his confidence in front of goal.
It was the start ten Hag would have wanted as he maintains his narrative of how important winning cups is for United, even if supporters, mindful of neighbours City facing Inter Milan in the Champions League 24 hours later, might also like to see success in the league.
And, as Slonina came under increasing pressure, the Barnsley keeper finally cracked after 35 minutes when he chased Antony as the Brazilian ran onto Rashford’s through ball and needlessly tripped him.
Antony, who scored just three times last season, was given the chance to get his new campaign under way and duly did so with a stop-start run-up and well-taken spot-kick.
It was a long way back for the visitors from there and a nigh-impossible task became exactly that in the second minute of first half stoppage time when their defence again failed to cope with Rashford running at them.
The ball eventually cannoned off a defender, but only as far as Garnacho who had time and space to score United’s third from six yards.
Four minutes after the restart, a comfortable night became a rout with Barnsley losing their shape and pushing up and Eriksen only too happy to take advantage with a pass from inside his own half that sent Garnacho racing clear.
The youngster showed the sort of composure that is not always part of his arsenal in waiting for Slonina to commit himself and curling the ball into the corner.
Before the hour was up, Rashford had his second and United’s fifth although the irrepressible Garnacho was again involved as his pass found the striker in space in the Barnsley area from where he was able to produce a tidy left-foot finish.
Eriksen ensured that what was already United’s biggest win under ten Hag became even more so, in the 80th minute, when he tapped in a Bruno Fernandes cross from six yards.
And the exhausted visitors had no response as Fernandes passed the ball around quickly and confidently to set up Eriksen whose shot from the edge of the area made it 7-0 four minutes later.
Bayindir 6; Dalot 6 (Mazraoui 63), Maguire 6, Evans 6 (de Ligt 78), Collyer 5; Ugarte 6 (Fernandes 62), Casemiro 7; Antony 7, Eriksen 7, Garnacho 9 (Diallo 84); Rashford 8 (Zirkzee 63). Substitutes (not used): Heaton, Mainoo, Martinez, Wheatley.
Stonina 5; de Gevigney 5, Roberts 4 (McCarthy 46), Earl 4; Cotter 6 (Lofthouse 63), Phillips 7, Connell 5, Yoganathan 5 (Craig 46), O’Keefe 5; Jalo 5 (Humphrys 46), Watters 5 (Cosgrove 56). Substitutes (not used) Benson, Killip, Marsh, Russell.
G Ward 7
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