Manchester United progressed to the quarterfinal of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, comfortably beating Swansea City 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium
Jose Mourinho made wholesale changes to the side that lost at Huddersfield Town over the weekend, with just four players surviving from the embarrassing defeat. One of these players turned out to be the hero for the visitors on the night as Jesse Lingard scored both goals for Manchester United.
The deadlock was broken midway through the first-half, when Ander Herrera’s low pass was flicked brilliantly by Marcus Rashford to release the England international, who finished the move with a superb finish.
FT: Swansea 0 #MUFC 2. Our defence of the @Carabao_Cup continues thanks to two superb @JesseLingard goals! pic.twitter.com/eMb0J3Ojas
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 24, 2017
The lead was doubled just before the hour mark when Darmian put a searching cross into the box, with Lingard arriving late to finish the move with his head. The visitors maintained controlled of the proceedings for the last half an hour, earning an easy win in the process.
The win took Manchester United a step closer to defending the league cup title that they won earlier this year, with the quarterfinals set to be played in December. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jose Mourinho’s men.
Sergio Romero: 7.5/10
Another quiet night for the Argentinean goalkeeper, he was largely untroubled, and had more work to do with his feet than with his gloves. Romero didn’t go untested against the Swans though, and was equal to the task to the shots of Tammy Abraham and Leroy Fer in the second half, with the latter in particular being brilliant.
Not too shabby for a back up Keeper
Sergio Romero
30 games
20 clean sheets pic.twitter.com/fKorOL5dL1— @ManUtd_HQ (@ManUtd_HQ) October 24, 2017
He now has 20 clean sheets in 30 appearances for Manchester United, and is such an asset for Mourinho to have in his squad.
Matteo Darmian: 8/10
One of his best performances in a red shirt since the arrival of Mourinho, Darmian was a steady customer on the night. Apart from being troubled in the first few minutes by Jordan Ayew, the Italian was not tested on the night as he spent the majority of the game in the opposition half.
A solid performance was capped off with an assist as a wonderfully swinging cross was headed in by Lingard. A big confidence booster for him.
Victor Lindelof: 5/10
Speaking of confidence boosters, a player in need of one is Lindelof after he turned in another sub-par performance on Tuesday. Made a meal of a simple clearance in the first half, and looked troubled on more than one occasion, while his passing wasn’t exactly convincing either. The Swede is in need of some inspiration.
Chris Smalling: 7/10
With one of his partners in the back-three not in his elements, Smalling did well to marshall the defence and shut out any possible threat from Swansea. On top of that, the English defender was crisp with his passing and also went close to grabbing a goal for himself in the second half.
Axel Tuanzebe: 8/10
Tuanzebe’s game by numbers vs. Swansea:
2 tackles
2 dribbles
97% pass accuracy
100% tackles won
100% dribbles completedRio Ferdinand v2.0 pic.twitter.com/Qhdw7bNVUo
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 24, 2017
A performance full of poise and confidence by the youngster, Tuanzebe was excellent at the back apart from a few nervy moments in the first half. In addition to that, the youngster didn’t hesitate in moving into midfield either and was assured with the ball at his feet. Made a case for more regular inclusion.
Daley Blind: 6.5/10
A solid, yet unspectacular performance by Blind, who neutralised the threat of Wayne Routledge well, while recycling possession smartly. However, his delivery into the box needs improvement, and the Dutchman could have posed more threat in the opposition half.
Ander Herrera: 8/10
A far improved performance than the one he turned in against Huddersfield over the weekend, Herrera controlled the tempo of the game effectively while also guiding McTominay in midfield as the senior partner. The Spaniard was also involved in the build up to the first goal, and was superb on the whole.
Scott McTominay: 8/10
Another young prospect who impressed with his performance on the night. McTominay, making his first start of the season, had a night to remember as he kept things ticking while also stretching the Swansea defence with his movement.
But, he could have had a goal for himself had he not rushed into a shot when he had plenty of time to slot the ball past Nordfeldt without much of a fuss. All in all though, a top performance for the youngster, who has better things coming his way.
Jesse Lingard: 9/10
Handed a free role in attack, Lingard flourished and produced arguably his best performance of the season. His movement was menacing for the Swansea defenders to deal with, while his understanding with Rashford, in particular, opened up the opposition defence with ease for the first goal.
Jesse Lingard has scored twice in one game for the first time for Man Utd.
On target tonight. ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/DMBYYwoIqb
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 24, 2017
The finish for the second goal was as good, if not better, as the England international arrived late into the box to strike a powerful header past Nordfeldt. While his passing was a little sloppy at times, Lingard was imperious on the whole.
Anthony Martial: 6/10
Caused a lot of problems to the Swansea defenders with his pace and trickery, but Martial wasn’t as effective as he was expected to be on the night, with his end product lacking at times. He seems to be in a bit of a lull after a stellar September.
Macus Rashford: 7.5/10
Not particularly influential to begin with, Rashford gradually grew into the game as it progressed. His back-heel flick was a thing of beauty, and his movement and intent caused a great deal of trouble to the Swansea defenders. Set-piece delivery though, was not up to the mark, but it was a positive outing for the teenager.
SUBSTITUTES
Romelu Lukaku: 5/10
On the field for 25 minutes, Lukaku was largely anonymous on the field during his short stint. When called upon though, his holdup play was dangerous, and he helped see off the game.
Nemanja Matic: 6/10
Came on alongside Lukaku, Matic took up the mantle of dictating the pace of the game from Herrera as he kept the Swansea attack quiet.
Luke Shaw: N/A
Introduced with only a few minutes left in the game, Shaw did not have much to do, and his Manchester United future seems up in the air.
