Five talking points from Manchester United's 2-0 win at Stoke in the Capital One Cup quarterfinals

Young proves his detractors wrong

One of the scapegoats for Manchester United, so far this season has been Ashley Young. Often, his reputation of diving precedes him and doesn’t do him too many favors. In the game against Shakhtar, he was wasteful in his finishing and there were those who were calling for his head. But against Stoke, Young showed just how good he can be, if he stays on his feet.

The English winger put in a man of the match performance, scoring one goal and creating the other for Evra. His goal, the one that effectively swung the tide in United’s favour was a thing of beauty. After some clever attacking play, Hernandez with his back to goal, gave Young the perfect pass to hit one from the edge of the D. And hit it he did, as Young’s first-time rising drive was hit with such ferocity that it almost took the net out. If he continues to play like he did against Stoke, United won’t miss their strikers all that much.