Manchester United faced Aston Villa for the second time in four days, looking to advance to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
There was visible caution from both teams in the opening exchanges. United taking their time, keeping possession while being wary of the counter-attacking threat posed by Villa.
The first half turned into a bit of a slow-paced, quiet affair. Two yellow cards in three minutes for Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire really encapsulated the half.
Garnacho inspires Red Devils comeback
What came in the second half was completely different. A classic cup thriller which featured six goals and ended with the exciting substitute Alejandro Garnacho creating goals for Bruno Fernandes and McTominay.
Barely a minute after the restart, Ollie Watkins gave Villa the lead. After receiving a fine pass from Jacob Ramsey inside the box, he slotted cooly past the United keeper, Martin Dubravka.
A minute later, parity was restored. Bruno Fernandes played a vital role in creating the equalizer. After some excellent work in possession, he squared the ball to Anthony Martial, who applied a simple finish.
Soon after that, Diogo Dalot’s own goal made it 2-1 to Villa before Marcus Rashford levelled for United with a well-placed finish.
Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen made a costly error leading to the Fernandes goal that made it 3-2. His poor pass went straight to Garnacho who immediately found Fernandes in space.
The United number 8 found the net via a deflection off Tyrone Mings. added time, McTominay slid home from Garnacho’s sweetly flighted ball.
Ten Hag praises superb Garnacho
Speaking about the 18-year-old Garnacho, United manager Ten Hag said: “He has an impact with two assists, some dribbles, some runs behind but also some things he has to improve but it is quite obvious we are happy with his development and performance tonight, and he can contribute to the team. All teams need players like him”
This victory for Manchester United sets up a last 16 meeting with Burnley at Old Trafford.
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