Manchester United booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with an emphatic 7-0 victory over Barnsley.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring early on and United never looked back, with Antony netting a penalty and Alejandro Garnacho popping up with a third before the interval.
Garnacho and Rashford were both on target early in the second half, before Christian Eriksen netted twice late on to cap off a dominant victory for Erik ten Hag’s side.
How the game unfolded
Barnsley showed little fear in their approach to the game but it was United who stamped their authority on proceedings early on. Rashford’s dangerous drive down the right caused all sorts of problems as the League One outfit prepared to throw themselves in front of every strike that came their way.
16 minutes in, Rashford finally found the back of the net. Collecting Garnacho’s switch, the Englishman cut inside and took two defenders out of the game before firing into the top corner.
Garnacho saw a low effort blocked as United pushed for a second, but United were gifted the perfect opportunity when Chelsea loanee Gabriel Slonina tripped Antony in the box. The Brazilian stepped up and fired into the side netting with ten minutes remaining in the first half.
On the stroke of half-time, Garnacho made it 3-0. Rashford’s run into the box caused chaos and the ball found its way to the feet of the Argentine, who poked into the bottom corner to remove any uncertainty about the result.
Garnacho slotted home a fourth on the counter just four minutes after the restart, before Rashford grabbed a second of his own with a smart, low finish.
Somehow, Garnacho failed to complete his hat-trick with 20 minutes to go. A cut-back found him alone in the box but he blazed over when it looked easier to score.
It mattered little, however, as substitute Bruno Fernandes managed to grab two late assists for Eriksen, who tapped home from close range before sweeping into the bottom corner to seal a dominant win.
GK: Altay Bayindir – 6/10 – Minimal work to do with his hands but got involved well with his feet.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – A constant menace down the right, always looking to get involved in attack.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6/10 – A few nervy moments early on but was largely a bystander. Did everything needed of him.
CB: Jonny Evans – 7/10 – Active defensively to clear any danger Barnsley managed to create.
LB: Toby Collyer – 6/10 – Looked very much like an inexperienced midfielder playing out of position, but hardly got anything wrong.
DM: Casemiro – 8/10 – Given more freedom to get forwards and made a noticeable impact in the final third. Enjoyed time to pick his passes.
DM: Manuel Ugarte – 7/10 – Took Casemiro’s defensive responsibilities and enjoyed the physical battle.
RM: Antony – 8/10 – Lively to win the penalty and showed great composure to convert from the spot even though Slonina guessed the right way.
AM: Christian Eriksen – 9/10 – Clearly more comfortable in this advanced role. Enjoyed plenty of control in the final third and deserved his goals.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho – 10/10 – Evidently far too good for this sort of opponent. Made light work of his defenders and deserved his goals.
ST: Marcus Rashford – 10/10 – Like Garnacho, Rashford was dominant. Breezed beyond Barnsley’s back line with ease and showed some real class with his opener.
Substitutes
SUB: Bruno Fernandes (63′ for Ugarte) – 8/10
SUB: Noussair Mazraoui (63′ for Dalot) – 6/10
SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (63′ for Rashford) – 6/10
SUB: Matthijs de Ligt (78′ for Evans) – 6/10
SUB: Amad Diallo (84′ for Garnacho) – N/A
Subs not used: Tom Heaton (GK), Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, Ethan Wheatley
Manager
Erik ten Hag – 7/10 – While the level of the opponents can’t be ignored, there’s no denying Ten Hag got his setup right here. United were a level above everywhere, and the early signs of the partnership between Ugarte and Casemiro were incredibly impressive.
Player of the match – Alejandro Garnacho (Man Utd)
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