Manchester United reached the fourth round of the Capital One Cup with a 3-0 victory over Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town on Wednesday evening. The Red Devils enjoyed a comfortable evening and eased to victory after Louis van Gaal opted to select a strong starting XI against the Championship side. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring midway through the first half and United were rarely tested throughout a one-sided 45 minutes.
In the second half, Andreas Pereira scored his first goal for the club from a direct free-kick before Anthony Martial netted his fourth goal in four games to wrap up the victory in injury time. Whilst many will claim that ‘it was only Ipswich’, United really were at the top of their game and produced a dominant performance to ease past the visiting side.
After the match, United sat eagerly anticipating the next round of the draw. The Red Devils were drawn at home against Middlesbrough and Van Gaal’s men will look to produce a similar performance if they are to guarantee progression to the next stage of the competition.
United are one of the leading candidates for the Capital One Cup this season and, at the time of writing, Coral are pricing them at 11/2 to win the competition in the outright winners market. For more football news and information, they can keep you updated. Along with United, Manchester City and Chelsea will also fancy their chances of success this season.
Traditionally, United – and other Premier League clubs – have played fringe players in the League Cup. It has never been a priority for the top sides but Van Gaal learned from last year’s mistake as he didn’t take lower league opposition for granted. Last season, United were beaten 4-0 by MK Dons and it was clear to see that the Dutchman selected a strong side to send out a statement of intent to the United fans.
If Van Gaal continues to choose a strong side in each of their Capital One Cup matches, United are more than capable of winning the competition. They have a bunch of talented players and are exceptionally strong at Old Trafford. As with all cup competitions, they will need the luck of the draw to be on their side but if the likes of Rooney, Martial and Mata perform, they will certainly be there or thereabouts and stand an excellent chance of going all the way to Wembley.
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