Manuel Ugarte on his first Manchester United start against Barnsley. (Image: Getty.)
Manchester United advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 7-0 battering of Barnsley at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag named a much-changed starting line-up, with Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer handed their first starts, as the Red Devils’ quality shone through.
Marcus Rashford got the game’s opening goal, cutting inside after Alejandro Garnacho’s smart long ball, before firing past Chelsea loanee Gabriel Slonina.
Antony doubled the lead from the penalty spot, having been brought down by the Barnsley goalkeeper, with usual penalty taker Bruno Fernandes given a rare rest. Garnacho then got United’s third after latching onto a loose ball in the penalty area and a fourth in acres of space to place his effort past the goalkeeper.
Rashford got his second and United’s fifth by racing onto a through ball by Garnacho, taking advantage of some poor passing out of the back by their League One opponents, before Christian Eriksen tapped home from close range and then stroked a seventh into the bottom corner to secure by far the largest victory of the Ten Hag era.
Here, Express Sport has taken a look at some of the biggest talking points from United’s dominant victory.
Ugarte shines on first start
Ten Hag admitted that Ugarte played just one full training session before making his first start for the club against Barnsley, but he fit into the United midfield as if he had been playing there for 10 years.
The front three will get the plaudits for their goals, but Ugarte knitted together play ever so tidily. He was a strong presence in front of a rotated back four, but could break forward and attack when necessary too.
Just before half-time he suffered a bad cut to his knee, with blood gushing as the medical staff rushed onto the pitch, but Ugarte was desperate to continue playing and barely even winced. Even Roy Keane would be proud.
The 23-year-old was replaced on the hour mark by Fernandes on the hour mark and was given a deserved standing ovation by the Old Trafford crowd.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Manuel Ugarte bleeding before getting back stuck into the action. (Image: Sky Sports.)
Ten Hag made mistake with Collyer
Collyer had already defeated Barnsley once this season, having captained the Under-21s to a 3-2 win at Oakwell last month in the EFL Trophy. In his first senior start, however, he was deployed in an unconventional left-back position.
Barnsley had very few attacks of note that could bother Altay Bayindir, but any trouble did come down the flank that Collyer was manning.
Few could blame the 20-year-old who stepped in as a result of injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, but he will be desperate to make an impression from the middle of the pitch.
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Rashford: Reborn?
Two goals in two games now for Rashford, who played centrally in the absence of Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund.
He opened the scoring with a fine finish, bringing down a long switch from Garnacho, before he went past Marc Roberts with ease and giving the goalkeeper the eyes for a finish into the top corner.
A second goal followed in the second half as United pounced on some lacklustre passing out of the back, latching onto a delicate through ball before slotting at the near post with little hesitation.
Rashford may well be proving that his best performances are to come through the middle, allowing both Garnacho and Amad Diallo to continue their strong starts to the season, though potentially at the expense of Zirkzee and Hojlund to pose a new issue for Ten Hag.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho celebrating. (Image: Getty)
Huge Antony encouragement
Given an opportunity to start alongside Rashford and Garnacho, Antony may have been playing in last-chance saloon territory, but came through with his reputation enhanced.
A tidy display will only further encourage Ten Hag and those who decided to splash out £85million on the Brazilian from Ajax, especially after noticing that he wanted to take a penalty.
At 1-0, Antony nudged the ball past Slonina and the contact was enough to bring him down. But despite the likes of Rashford and Eriksen on the pitch, Antony grabbed the ball and placed it down 12 yards away from goal.
The goalkeeper went the right way but was powerless to prevent Antony from scoring on an impressive return to the starting lineup.
Unlikely Onana role
Andre Onana was not named in the squad tonight, but still played a part. Despite being given the night off by Ten Hag, the goalkeeper was out warming up on the Old Trafford pitch before the match.
He faced shots from outfield players to help them get ready for the match, ready in waiting as the third stopper in case either Bayindir or Tom Heaton were injured before kick-off and he had to come in.
With plenty of concerns regarding the mentality and attitude of United players, Onana’s efforts were a welcome sight by many, his focus is clearly on the pitch.
