Manchester United were made to work hard but in their end their quality shone through as they breezed past Charlton Athletic 3-0 to reach the EFL Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
A first-half goal from Antony was the difference between the two sides heading into half-time. A sloppy start to the second-half forced Erik ten Hag to make changes early to make the victory secure.
It took until the 90th minute for substitute Marcus Rashford to score United’s second and the in-form Mancunian added a third in added time as well.
Elanga poor once again
Despite reaching his first semifinal in English football, the Dutch manager will not be pleased with the performance from one of his players.
Anthony Elanga looks like he needs to go out on loan immediately. The young Swede, who broke through last season under Ralf Rangnick, has regressed this season.
2.5 years after signing, Pellistri makes his debut and gets an assist for Marcus Rashford. 🔴 pic.twitter.com/GkLOWCxe91
— Paul, Manc Bald and Bred (@MufcWonItAll) January 10, 2023
He looked lost, and he could not make his touches stick and posed a non-existent threat during his stay out on the Old Trafford pitch.
He was started as the No 9 and this performance should finally allow the Dutchman to use more of Facundo Pellistri in his place going forward.
The Uruguayan finally made his long-awaited debut and looked electric as soon as he entered the fray.
He grabbed the assist for Rashford’s opener and could have had one himself but was unselfish as he cut it back for Scott McTominay to shoot at a crowd of defenders.
Pellistri, the game-changer
Pellistri should now ideally get his chance to shine and looks like and able deputy for Antony on the right flank.
United’s main danger throughout the game came from the left flank with Alejandro Garnacho running the Charlton defenders ragged.
He did display selfishness at times, but he will learn from this going forward.
Ten Hag is inching ever closer to a first piece of silverware and he has also discovered the perfect young wing combination this game. Hopefully, we can see more of this duo in the games to come.
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