Manchester United strolled to a 3-0 victory against Championship side Ipswich Town last night at Old Trafford, progressing to the next round of the Capital One Cup, where they will face another Championship side in Middlesborough.
Wayne Rooney, Andreas Pereira, and Anthony Martial were the goalscorers as the Reds made light work of The Tractor Boys and in many aspects, it was the perfect game for United. They were barely troubled and got through the game without incurring any further injuries, and even saw Phil Jones make his first appearance of the season after his recovery from mild thrombosis, while David de Gea got the captain’s armband for the final moments of the game.
Here are three things we learned from last night’s game:
1. First-string United, second-string Ipswich
Many United fans thought that Louis van Gaal would be handing some of the Reds’ youngsters a game against Championship opposition, but only Andreas Pereira was given a start by the Dutchman, as the likes of James Wilson and Jesse Lingard were rested after playing 90 minutes for the under-21 side against their Everton counterparts on Monday. The side that van Gaal fielded last night was almost a full-strength side, with the exception of Pereira, and the manager was perhaps wary of another cup upset, as had happened last season against MK Dons. He took last night’s game a bit seriously than he would have last year, and his side responded with a fine performance against what admittedly was a second-string Ipswich side sacrificing their cup ambitions for results in the Championship.
2. Pereira is a star in the making
Andreas Pereira stole the show on his first start for the Reds last night, and he put in a man of the match performance to lead United to victory. Playing on the left wing, the Brazilian was always looking to make something happen, looking lively and taking his man on regularly and beating him. He showed off his long-range passing with some delightful diagonal balls to switch the play and also tracked back diligently, engaging in a good battle with Ipswich left-back Josh Emmanuel. Pereira hit the post within the first two minutes, and his moment came on the hour mark when Juan Mata stepped aside to let the 19-year old curl a sumptuous free-kick into the corner in front of the Stretford End. It was just reward for a fine performance, and Pereira will no doubt earned himself further first-team opportunities with that display.
3. A touch of class from Bastian
After Wayne Rooney came off for Memphis in the dying moments of the game, something quite unexpected happened. Rooney handed off the armband to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who we all expected to wear it for the final few minutes of the match. However, Schweinsteiger ran up to David de Gea and gave him the armband. It was a superb gesture from the midfield maestro, and it made for a fantastic picture. Few United fans would have pictured this moment a few months ago, and it proves that de Gea has been fully rehabilitated back into the fold.
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