It was a scintillating performance by Rui Faria’s Red Army on Wednesday night, with José Mourinho watching on from a ‘secret location’ after being handed a one-match touchline ban for kicking a water bottle against West Ham on Sunday. Little did it matter though, as Manchester United booked their place in the EFL Cup semi-finals with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the Hammers.
United’s attack finally clicked, with the front four of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all interchanging excellently and braces from both Martial and Zlatan sealed a comfortable victory, which saw United score four goals for the second time inside a week.
The win also saw Bastian Schweinsteiger make his first appearance for the Reds since March after being frozen out by Mourinho earlier on in the season and the former German international was given a rapturous ovation by the United faithful and even played a part in setting up United’s final goal.
Critics may once again say this is a false dawn, but we saw signs of United’s best eleven coming to fruition. Here’s four things we learned from the Theatre of Dreams:
Mkhitaryan shows class
Two games, two man of the match awards for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian international showcased his talents once again and showed why he should be starting week in, week out for United going forward.
A phenomenal backheel from Mkhitaryan set up Zlatan for United’s opener before he produced the goods again at the start of the second half with a lovely little squared pass which set up Martial for United’s second.
The debate will continue on whether he has been held back by Mourinho or let loose at the right time, but it is unquestionable that the Armenian is just what United seems to need in attack right now. He operates in space that no other player seems to pick out and he does it almost to perfection.
He may not play 90 minutes against Everton on Sunday, but there is little doubt that he deserves to start.
Martial looks like himself again
After his early season struggles, Anthony Martial looks to have regained some of the form that saw him take the Premier League by storm in his debut season.
The Frenchman was unstoppable, turning Pedro Obiang inside out on numerous occasions with his electric pace and dribbling and deservedly scored twice from close range.
His dropping after a patchy start has definitely paid dividends and it could well see him earn his starting place back. The star might have started to fade after his poor form and issues off the pitch, but this performance has certainly put him on Mourinho’s good side again.
Basti returns from the cold
Bastian Schweinsteiger is alive and kicking! The German made his first appearance since March as he returned from his first-team exile to an incredible ovation from the United faithful – no doubt in tribute to his professionalism during his spell on the sidelines.
He helped see out the game for United, even contributing to the final goal with a smart run and pass to Ander Herrera in the build-up. His brief cameo may not mean much, with reports still indicating that United are likely to try and off-load him in January.
But would it really be so bad if United kept him and allowed him to deputise for Michael Carrick whenever the veteran needs a day off? After all, Schweinsteiger certainly has the quality and pedigree to pull it off.
Whatever happens though, it will certainly be a night fondly remembered by most United fans as they got to see Basti back in a red shirt.
Jones and Rojo make the step up
United have desperately looked thin in defence with the absence of Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling, but the two men deputising for them have certainly stepped up to the mantle.
Phil Jones has returned to the fold in solid fashion, seemingly banishing his recent injury troubles to the wayside and showing the talent that prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to shell out for him as a 19-year-old.
The other success story in the centre of defence is Marcos Rojo, who put in another terrific performance on Wednesday night. He timed his challenges perfectly and disposed of the ball well. Maybe this is all down to the Argentine being played in the right position, as he has looked woeful when played at left-back.
It is fair to say that United’s defence looks strong at the moment, with Antonio Valencia locking down the right-back position and the two centre-backs in form. The only problem now is at left-back, where Luke Shaw hasn’t yet fully recovered from his broken leg last year. But you’d bet on the youngster finding his feet sometime soon, with a fairly able deputy in Daley Blind currently the incumbent in the left-back role.