Marcus Rashford scored a brace while Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard chipped in with a goal each as Manchester United thrashed Burton Albion 4-1 to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Jose Mourinho made nine changes to the team that defeated Everton, but the team still looked decent enough to do the job against a Premier League side, let alone against a Championship club. And it didn’t take them long to open the scoring against Nigel Clough’s men, as Rashford scored the first goal after Lingard slid in a pass for him in the fifth minute. He completed his brace just ten minutes later, picking up a pass from Blind, turning towards the goal and unleashing a strike from outside the box. Sergio Romero then made a brilliant save, coming off his line to deny the opposition a chance to make a comeback. Jesse Lingard then scored his side’s third of the evening, with his shot taking a huge deflection before finding its way into the back of the net. Anthony Martial, who was in sensational form throughout the game, then scored a deserved goal as Rashford sent him through on goal and he finished it emphatically. Joel Pereira, United’s third choice keeper who came on for the final quarter of an hour, made a shambolic clearance to gift Burton Albion a consolation in extra time through Lloyd Dyer.
Here are the major Talking Points from the 4-1 victory-
Martial Magic
Anthony Martial showed yet again why he’s a fan favourite. He was in red hot form today, and was almost impossible to contain. He slaughtered the entire Burton defence with some fancy footwork and direct dribbling on many occasions. He even scored a deserved goal late in the game, but could’ve scored even more had he been any luckier. He’s given Mourinho a real headache ahead of the Southampton game, and its interesting to see if he’ll start or come on as a super sub late in the game. Either way, he’ll be deadly.
Rashford is an Underrated Striker
Marcus Rashford hasn’t had too many chances in his natural position since his debut two seasons ago. We all know that he’s a striker, but has had to do with a place on the wing to accommodate Ibrahimovic and now Lukaku. But he’s definitely one of the most underrated strikers in the league, and has rarely underperformed as the target man. His two goals today should be a good news for Mourinho, as he provides him with a Plan B in games when Lukaku’s unavailable or ineffective.
United Finally Concede at Old Trafford
Manchester United hadn’t conceded at their fortress for 132 days, and the last player to score a goal at Old Trafford was Celta Vigo’s Facundo Roncaglia on May 12. United could’ve kept another clean sheet, but Joel Pereira was culpable of gifting Burton a goal in the last few seconds of the game. This not only strengthens Mourinho’s track record of being unassailable at home, but also shows how far United have come from that poor spell under Louis van Gaal when it became a routine for teams to come and beat us at Old Trafford.
Lindelof Needs Time, for sure
Victor Lindelof had another below par game, as he looked unreliable and shaky at times. He was unconvincing and even though Mourinho has time and again suggested that the young defender needs time, supporters have been quick to state that he could well become another flop in recent times. A game against a lower league side is perfect for building confidence, and if Lindelof couldn’t deal with an easy opponent, its safe to say that he’ll need a fairly long time to settle down in the English conditions. Or maybe he indeed isn’t good enough and United overpaid for him. Its either of the two, and Lindelof must keep this in mind in the next couple of months.