Player Ratings: United beat Brighton 3-0; Mata MOTM, Pogba took free-kick well, Henderson’s fine performance

Manchester United beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. Scott McTominay opened the scoring at the end of the first half with Juan Mata doubling United’s lead in the 73rd minute of the match before Paul Pogba scored from a free-kick in the 80th minute of the match. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be happy with the victory which sees United into the quarter-final draw which will happen after the Liverpool v Arsenal match on Thursday evening, which is the day United also find out their fate in the UEFA Champions League this season.

It was a similar match against Brighton as the match against Luton Town last week. There was not a lot going on in the first half, then at the end of the half, United manage to open the scoring. United won a free0kick with Juan Mata taking it with his left foot. Scott McTominay was there unmarked to head the ball across goal and into the back of the net scoring his first goal for the club since that long-range goal against Manchester City at Old Trafford before the coronavirus lockdown.

Despite being 1-0 up in the game, United were not getting the better of this Brighton side in a game that was a polar opposite to the match at the same stadium at the weekend. Solskjaer made a double substitution in the 69th minute with Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba replacing Odion Ighalo and Daniel James. United doubled their lead through Mata in the 73rd minute with an assist by Donny van de Beek with Mata starting the move, playing the ball to Brandon Williams with Van de Beek getting the flick to fins Mata for his to score United’s second of the game.

United tripled their lead in the 80th minute after Joel Veltman became the second player of the match to be booked after taking Rashford out giving United a free-kick, Pogba took the set-piece which took a heavy deflection from the Brighton wall then in off the post to put United 3-0 up in the game, which seemed to be game over for Brighton. It was a polar opposite of Saturday’s match which saw United score three goals, one after the full time whistle was blown. It would seem United had done enough to get into the draw for the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Thursday.

[player_ratings id=”109272″]

Goals: Scott McTominay 44′, Juan Mata 73′, Paul Pogba 80′

Assists: Juan Mata 44′, Donny van de Beek 73′

Manchester United: Henderson; Dalot, Lindelof, Bailly, Williams; McTominay, Fred (Lingard 81′); Mata, Van de Beek, James (Pogba 69′); Ighalo (Rashford 69′)

Substitutes Not Used: Grant; Fosu-Mensah, Mengi; Greenwood

Bookings: Dan Burn 43′, Joel Veltman 79′; Victor Lindelof 86′

Written by John Walker

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I support Manchester United, the greatest English football team to have ever existed. Bruno Fernandes is the latest in a long line of players with great ability to play for the club. I idolised Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona growing up.