Rashford, Garnacho And Eriksen Print Brace When MU Beats Barnsley In Carabao Cup
JAKARTA - Manchester United had no trouble overcoming Liga 2 Barnsley in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. In a duel at Old Trafford Stadium, Wednesday, September 18, 2024 in the morning WIB, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen scored a brace when MU beat Barnsley 7-0.
There were no obstacles at all when United played the Carabao Cup early round. Manager Erik ten Hag did not even field the best squad when they hosted the team from League One or the second caste of the Premier League.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana, defender Leandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo was not played in the match. Meanwhile, defender Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee have just played in the second half.
Onana's position was replaced by young goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. He was fortified by senior defender duo Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans. Meanwhile, Rashford played the role of 'false nine' because Zirkzee was blocked by Ten Hag.
Winger Antony who is in the spotlight because of his declining performance has the opportunity to become a starter again. Likewise, Garnacho, who recently failed to show his best performance since the first minute.
Despite appearing with a different composition of players, MU is still too strong for the opposing team. Barnsley had time to hold MU for the first 15 minutes.
But Rashford then broke the deadlock after finishing Garnacho's assist. This is the second time Rashford broke into the opponent's goal after scoring a goal when Manchester United won 3-0 over Southampton in the English Premier League competition last weekend.
Furthermore, Antony increased the Red Devils' advantage through a penalty spot in the 35th minute. The hosts became increasingly unstoppable after Garnacho established their lead towards the end of the first half. Garnacho's goal was created through the collaboration of the Argentine national team winger with Rashford. The 3-0 score lasted until halftime.
In the second half, MU stepped on the gas pressing the Barnsley defense. The game has only been running for five minutes, Garnacho scored a brace that changed the score to 4-0. He finished Rashford's mature pass.
MU is unstoppable. The hosts added another goal in the 58th minute. This time, it was Rashford's turn to score his second goal after working with Garnacho.
MU is still not satisfied with adding goals. Eriksen managed to score two goals in just four minutes. This Danish veteran midfielder completed two passes from Fernandes in the 81st and 85th minutes. The score changed to 7-0 for MU and lasted until the end of the match.
Ten Hag showed his satisfaction with Manchester United's big performances and victories. According to him, the match became a momentum for the team's revival as well as trying to maintain consistency. Things that have not been seen in the MU team this season.
"That's how it is, football is football. Sometimes you are above and sometimes below. We also use this match to gain momentum and try to stay consistent," said Ten Hag.
"I think the first goal from Marcus is really very good. Likewise, the other goals. We played fast and sharp in front of goal. The key is the right attitude and 100% focus," he said again.
After facing Barnsley, they met Crystal Palace in a domestic competition. Then MU faced Twente in the Europa League.