Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho ran riot for Manchester United as they humiliated a sorry Barnsley side 7-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The home team started the game a little slowly before a moment of magic from Rashford gave them a 16th-minute lead. Antony then drew a foul in the penalty area before the Brazilian converted the subsequent spot-kick 10 minutes from half-time. The game was effectively over in first-half stoppage-time when Garnacho toe-poked the ball past Barnsley goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, and the Argentine winger made it 4-0 four minutes after the interval from a rapid attack before Rashford grabbed his second just before the hour mark with a smart finish. Christian Eriksen heaped more misery on the visitors with a quickfire double late on as Erik ten Hag's side marched into the fourth round.
First Half - Three Goals Put Reds in Control
Ahead of our first cup game of the campaign, Ten Hag made it clear he would be taking the tie seriously and that he viewed the Carabao Cup - the first trophy he won as United manager in 2022/23 - as an important competition. The boss reflected this with a strong selection despite showing eight changes from Saturday’s 3-0 win at Southampton, with Diogo Dalot, Eriksen and Rashford retaining their places in an XI which included a home debut for Manuel Ugarte and a first competitive start for Toby Collyer. The 20-year-old operated at left-back, with Ugarte’s first United start in tandem with the returning Casemiro adding some South American bite in midfield.
Understandably, it took some time for our much-changed side to find their feet and, in the 10th minute, our no.10 struck the first shot, as Rashford’s deflected effort cannoned behind off Marc Roberts. From the resulting Eriksen corner, Rashford saw two quickfire shots blocked by the Tykes’ defence. He was not to be denied in the 16th minute, however, as our Academy graduate opened the scoring on his 200th home appearance for the Reds. Collecting Garnacho’s delightful cross-field pass, Rashford manoeuvred away from two Barnsley defenders before rifling a composed finish past Gabriel Slonina to net for the second successive match.
United continued to threaten with little reward, until being awarded a penalty when Antony, latching on to Rashford’s angled pass, was sent sprawling by onrushing Tykes keeper Slonina, who was booked by referee Gavin Ward. Our no.21 stepped up and confidently converted to add to our advantage in the 35th minute.
The Reds began to dominate as Casemiro warmed the gloves of Slonina with a deflected shot. His midfield partner Ugarte provided a brief scare when requiring treatment after blood poured from his leg following a rugged challenge by Barnsley captain Luca Connell. But United headed into the interval with a firm grip on proceedings as Garnacho - just as he did at St Mary’s Stadium at the weekend - notched our third goal. Picking up a fortunate ricochet after Rashford’s mazy run was initially halted by the Tykes’ backline, our no.17 poked the loose ball into the bottom corner.
Second Half - Reds Run Riot to Progress
It took just four minutes after the restart for goal number four to arrive as Garnacho, released by a lofted pass by Eriksen following a lovely one-touch sequence, ran the entire length of the Barnsley half unchallenged before calmly stroking home. A lively Rashford brought a save low down from Slonina with a powerful low free-kick from 22 yards. However, the forward did not have to wait long to see his name on the scoreboard at the Theatre of Dreams again as he raced on to Garnacho’s pass - after Barnsley surrendered possession in a dangerous area - and slotted in United’s fifth.
Keen to make full use of his squad, the boss gave run-outs to captain Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee from the bench just after the hour mark as Ugarte, Rashford and Dalot departed the action. With the traffic heading only in one direction, a rampant United sought to add to our tally. Antony saw a curling effort from just outside the box tipped over by Slonina and Garnacho somehow failed to take a hat-trick chance when firing over from 10 yards from Fernandes’s deflected cross.
United were denied a second penalty when Casemiro went down in the box under the challenge of Josh Earl before, at the other end, Barnsley sub Stephen Humphrys was booked for simulation after falling on the edge of the box with Collyer in close proximity. Matthjis De Ligt received his first taste of domestic cup action in England as the Dutchman replaced Jonny Evans - who also played the last time United faced Barnsley, in a 2-0 victory at Oakwell in the League Cup fourth round in 2009.
It got better for the Reds when Eriksen got in on the act with his fourth and fifth goals for the club, both set up by Fernandes in the space of four minutes. The Denmark midfielder first converted a pull-back from close range before stroking a delightful finish into the corner from the edge of the box, to round off an impressive evening for Ten Hag’s troops. It proved to be a quiet night for Altay Bayindir, making his home debut for United and only his second appearance for the club, but the Turkish keeper will be pleased to keep his first shutout for the Reds, who eased into the next round and can now turn attention to Saturday’s Premier League clash at Crystal Palace.
A Night to Remember at Old Trafford
The victory marked United’s biggest win under Ten Hag to date and their largest ever in the League Cup, as they showcased their dominance over their League One opponents. Rashford and Garnacho’s impressive performances were highlights, with both players demonstrating their quality and contributing significantly to the resounding win. Eriksen’s brace further solidified the victory and demonstrated the depth of the United squad. This impressive win provides a positive boost for the Red Devils heading into a crucial Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
