Manchester United marched into the semi-finals of the English League Cup after a convincing 4-1 win over struggling West Ham United. Like the same fixture earlier in the week, there was an early goa, but it was the home side that scored it this time. Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged the opening goal before Ashley Fletcher scored the equaliser against his former team.
Anthony Martial then scored a second-half brace to give his side the lead before Ibrahimovic scored his second as well, to wrap up an easy win for the home side. The Red Devils will now face Hull City over two legs in the semi-final of the competition.
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Manchester United
David De Gea (5/10)
The Spanish stopper parried Payet’s effort straight into the path of Fletcher for the equaliser but otherwise rarely had a save to make.
Antonio Valencia (6.5/10)
Struggled to keep up with Payet and Cresswell in the first half, although he had a much easier task in the second. The Ecuadorian moved forward with intent and even grabbed an assist for Manchester United’s third goal.
Phil Jones (7/10)
The West Ham attackers didn’t threaten Manchester United’s defence a lot but Jones was always on the scene whenever they did come forward.
Marcos Rojo (6/10)
Just like his centre back partner, Rojo too was on hand to cut out any threat that the opposition possessed in another solid peformance from the Argentine.
Luke Shaw (4/10)
Shaw lasted only the opening 45 minutes and was replaced by Daley Blind for the second half. Didn’t have a lot of defending to do when he was on the pitch, nor did he go forward enough.
Ander Herrera (5/10)
The Spaniard had a quite game for the second game running as he played in a deeper role. He rarely made a mistake with his passing throughout the game.
Michael Carrick (7/10)
Carrick has been stellar whenever he has turned up for United this season and his performance was no different in the cup game. He held the midfield well, preventing the Hammers breaking forward on numerous occasions.
Henrik Mkhitaryan (8/10)
The Armenian linked up well with Rooney and Zlatan in the final third and assisted both Ibrahimovic’s and Martial’s first goals. He will need more performances like this one if he is to get back in contention for a starting XI berth.
Wayne Rooney (7.5/10)
Wayne Rooney seems closer to his usual best as he continued his good form in recent games. The United skipper caused serious problems for the West Ham defence and was involved in some intricate passing throughout the match. He will miss the next game through suspension after collecting his fifth yellow card.
Anthony Martial (8/10)
The young Frenchman gave United the lead in the second half with a neat finish and added a second when he tapped in from close range as he continued his fine form against West Ham.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (8/10)
The former Swedish international opened the scoring with a delightful chip in the opening couple of minutes in the game. His passing was also on mark and he delivered an exquisite pass to Valencia in the build-up to United’s third goal. He added his second and United’s fourth in second-half stoppage time to conclude an emphatic victory.
Substitutes
Daley Blind (6/10)
Blind replaced the injured Shaw for the second half but he did not face any trouble at left-back.
Bastian Schweinsteiger (4/10)
Schweinsteiger came on for his first appearance of the season after being left in the cold by Jose Mourinho and received a resounding reception from the Old Trafford faithful. He played a part in the build-up to the 4th goal of the game by making a neat pass from the left side.
Marcus Rashford (N/A)
The young striker came on for Martial in the dying minutes of the game.
West Ham United
Adrian (6.5/10)
Adrian made a number of top quality saves on his return to the starting line-up but could do nothing to prevent any of Manchester United’s four goals.
Cheikhou Kouyate (6/10)
The Senegalese put in another strong defensive performance in the Hammers defence, especially in the first-half. He was moved to right-back after Antonio was subbed off.
Angelo Ogbonna (5/10)
The former Juventus defender did well in West Ham’s back three but was often caught out when United played in passes behind the defence.
Winston Reid (6/10)
The New Zealander returned to the Hammers backline after missing the league game through suspension. He did a good job in the opening half but couldn’t cope with the Manchester United attack in the second.
Aaron Cresswell (5/10)
The Englishman came off just before half-time with a suspected injury. It was his impressive run that opened up the United defence, allowing Payet to get in a shot.
Edimilson Fernandes (5/10)
The young Swiss talent tracked back well in the opening 45 but looked lost as the game progressed.
Pedro Obiang (6/10)
Obiang is proving to be a vital part of West Ham’s midfield but he too seemed to switch off a bit as West Ham struggled in the second half.
Michail Antonio (5/10)
Antonio didn’t have half the impact that he had in this same fixture a few days ago. The wing-back enjoyed no freedom down the right-hand side and was replaced in the second half after picking up an injury.
Sofiane Feghouli (4/10)
Feghouli has been struggling to get into the Hammers starting XI in recent weeks and judging by his performance today, it is understandable why. The former Valencia man made far too many errors in the final third as he gave away possession more often than not.
Dimitri Payet (5/10)
The Frenchman's effort from outside the box bounced off De Gea in the lead up to the goal. He didn’t enjoy much fortune after that though and was to blame for West Ham conceding the second. Payet was taken off after a poor second half showing.
Ashley Fletcher (6.5/10)
The former Manchester United youth player was alert enough to tap in the equaliser after it rebounded off De Gea. Fletcher was left isolated up front more most of the game’s remainder.
Substitutes
Arthur Masuaku (4/10)
The former Lyon full-back replaced the injured Cresswell right before the break but he couldn’t keep up with the Red Devils pace in attack.
Manuel Lanzini (5/10)
Lanzini replaced Antonio after the wing-back came off with a knock. He was hardly involved in the game as the home side dominated proceedings.
Simone Zaza – (4/10)
Came on late on in the game but had no impact barring a couple of skewed efforts.
