Manchester United are almost already into the final of the League Cup. There is no doubt after the first leg at City Ground – it is a matter of time for the Red Devils to reach Wembley, as they brushed Nottingham Forest aside in a 3-0 win on Wednesday night. Erik Ten Hag’s side got exactly what they needed – a comfortable victory which will give them a lot of breathing space ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford. Man United got in the lead thanks to the brilliant Marcus Rashford. The visitors got one goal disallowed for offside in the first half, before Untied finished things off in the second. First, it was Wout Weghorst who pounced to make it 2-0, before Bruno Fernandes added the third with a decent strike. Here is what we learned from this match.
Rashford Doing Things For Fun
It is now getting difficult to count all of Marcus Rashford’s goals. Since the return of the season following the World Cup, there was only the Crystal Palace game in which Rashford was involved, that he did not score a goal. Against Forest he did that again, making this his 10th goal since the restart of the campaign. But it was also the way he scored the goal which perfectly painted the picture of his remarkable campaign. Rashford took the ball on the left flank and started slalomming between two Forest players, going straight towards the goal. The ease with which he managed to get past his markers was brilliant, before he clinically finished the solo run with a goal. No wonder Ten Hag is telling the club to do everything they can to get Rashford to sign a new long-term deal as soon as possible.
Weghorst Shows His Worth
With United getting their lead through Rashford, it was the second goal that made things much easier for the Red Devils. And it came through Wout Weghorst, the Dutch striker who scored his first Man United goal, following a rebound when he was in the right place, at the right time. But this goal was not the only reason why Weghorst showed he can be a useful addition to the squad until the end of the campaign. The Dutchman was putting in the shift whenever he was without the ball, pressing opposing defenders, but he was also good when with the ball. His link-up play was of great use, he rarely lost the ball and was able to bring others into play. He may not be top level striker United will want to sign this coming summer, but Weghorst is definitely a good addition for this type of matches.
United Close To Wembley
With this comfortable win, it is clear now Manchester United are almost already at the Wembley. A 3-0 win away from home is exactly what Ten Hag’s team needed, not only to get closer to the big final, but also to get the chance to make some changes in the second leg. That will be the opportunity to rest some of the main players and to get ready for a hectic February. There will be Europa League clashes with Barcelona and then there will be the final at Wembley right at the end of that month.
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