Manchester United vs Charlton: Manchester United qualified to the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 victory against League One Charlton Athletic at home on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils weren’t at their best for most of the tie, but they didn’t have to be to beat the Addicks and advance to the final four.
United had the opening opportunity of the evening, with Alejandro Garnacho sprinting to the byline and cutting back for Diogo Dalot, but his left-footed drive from the outside of the penalty area went over.
Garnacho was still a thorn in Charlton’s side, cutting in from the left and hitting barely wide twice in the next few minutes.
Ryan Inniss heroically stopped a strong effort from Fred before fellow Brazilian Antony broke the stalemate. The former Ajax player took a touch to come in off the right channel before audaciously curling a stunning attempt into the far corner.
In his pursuit of a goal, Fred rattled the Charlton post with a fantastic free-kick from almost 25 yards, while Albie Morgan’s at the other end drifted just past the upright.
Morgan teed up Scott Fraser on the outside of the United box just after the interval, but he was unable to keep his shot down, and the opportunity went begging.
Anthony Elanga had the ball in the net for Charlton following a superb first-time cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but the Sweden international was offside and the goal was disallowed.
In United’s pursuit of a second goal, Garnacho forced a fantastic stop from Ashley Maynard-Brewer at the conclusion of a quick counter attack.
The Charlton goalkeeper was fortunate to escape punishment after handling the ball beyond his area, much to the chagrin and amusement of the Stretford End.
Substitute Christian Eriksen was denied twice from close range late in the game, first by a Lucas Ness block and then by a leaping save from Maynard-Brewer.
With time running out, Marcus Rashford sealed the victory by prodding home from roughly 10 yards after a fast breakaway.
Charlton were severely punished by a third United goal at the end of stoppage time, tucking in at the near post after racing into a similar position to receive Casemiro’s through pass.
Manchester United Ratings:(Manchester United vs Charlton)
GK: Tom Heaton – 6/10 On his United debut, he had little little to do.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – Made a number of excellent choices and had a calming impact before being forced off with an injury.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6/10 – Guilty of over-aggressive passing at times but otherwise decent.
Lisandro Martinez – 8/10 – CB Picked up crazy throws from the backfield a touch better than Maguire. He consistently covered for his clumsy buddy.
Tyrell Malacia – 6/10 – Scuffed a number of corners but was a solid outlet out of the backfield.
4/10 CM: Scott McTominay He seemed to be woefully out of his depth against League One competition.
CM: Fred – 9/10 – Dictated the game at his discretion. He had an outstanding passing range and performed a lot of the hard work in midfield.
RM: Antony – 7/10 – Scored a great goal and looks dangerous from long range, but struggled to beat his man with a dribble.
Kobbie Mainoo – 5/10 – AM He didn’t appear out of place, but he also didn’t make a big impact, which is natural given his age.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho – 8/10 – Once again, electric. I had a lot of fun sprinting at the Charlton defence.
Anthony Elanga CF – 4/10 – It was clear that he wasn’t a centre forward. At times, it was easy to forget he was playing.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (34′ in place of Dalot) – 6/10 – Although not as effective as Dalot, he still performed well.
Manager Erik ten Hag – 6/10 – United controlled from start to end, but were tentative in front of goal until the final minutes.
Player ratings for Charlton Athletic
CM: Albie Morgan (6), CM: George Dobson (5), CM: Scott Fraser (5); RW: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (6), CF: Miles Leaburn (5), LW: Corey Blackett-Taylor (5); (5)
Eoghan O’Connell (5), Jack Payne (5), Jayden Stockley (N/A), Aaron Henry (N/A) are the substitutes.
Dean Holden is the manager (6)
Fred was named Match Player of the Match.
