After defeating Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the first leg of their semifinal at the City Ground, Manchester United is now only 90 minutes away from the Carabao Cup final. For the best sports betting casinos of February 2023 check out CasinoDaddy!
Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst, and Bruno Fernandes each scored once to give United a commanding advantage going into the second game at Old Trafford next Wednesday.
Had Sam Surridge’s first-half goal, which would have tied the game at 1, not been overturned by VAR for offside, the score could have been considerably closer. But United was comfortable throughout and can now start to look forward to a Wembley clash with Newcastle or Southampton next month.
Rashford excels once more to push United toward a Wembley final.
Marcus Rashford’ strike for Manchester United made it 10 goals in 10 games, putting Erik ten Hag’s squad within striking distance of the Carabao Cup final and potentially breaking a string of three consecutive domestic cup semifinal losses.
United must finish the formalities of the second leg on Wednesday at Old Trafford, but after failing to win a trophy since the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017, the team is now very close to breaking that winless streak. And Rashford, who was in fine form, gave United the lead in the sixth minute. He received the ball inside the United half and raced past Joe Worrall and Remo Freuler to score.
The scoring was completed by a late Bruno Fernandes goal and the first United goal for Wout Weghorst since his loan transfer from Burnley earlier this month.
Ten Hag is poised to win his first title for the club and maybe the first one available to him as manager after losing three consecutive domestic semifinal matches under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The historians can also include Sir Alex Ferguson’s victory over Forest in the 1990 FA Cup final on his route to winning his first trophy as manager of United. Although United and Ten Hag have yet to win anything, the style of their triumph provided more proof that the squad has turned things around after so many years of poor performance.
The 3-0 result did not reflect well on United because they were in charge the whole time. Although they should have won by more, it hardly matters because United is en route to Wembley once more and Forest won’t recover from this.
Due to his recent struggles for Manchester United, Antony has been a hot topic of discussion on social media. There appear to be two camps: those who think the £85 million transfer from Ajax was a waste of money and others who think he will improve after adjusting to English football.
Antony has made 23 appearances in a United jersey thus far, making seven goals and providing two assists. The Brazil winger may credit Wayne Hennessey for blocking Antony’s effort before Wout Weghorst scored at Forest, which is another significant contribution. These statistics aren’t awful for a player who has only been with his new club for six months, yet it is simple to understand why the 22-year-old irritates so many people.
Due to Antony’s remarkable one-footedness (he hardly ever touches the ball with his right foot), opponents have discovered that pushing him outside and onto his right foot can rapidly neutralize his danger. Despite lacking Arjen Robben’s devastating power and speed, who also relied heavily on his left foot, Antony nonetheless frequently finds himself in the center of United’s offenses.
Last summer, United’s manager Erik ten Hag made a strong effort to recruit Antony from Ajax. Due to the amount involved, the club was hesitant to make the move, but they still trusted their new manager’s judgment. However, Antony has the biggest task ahead of him to establish himself at United out of all of Ten Hag’s summer recruits.
There is undoubtedly something there, but Antony is far from being the whole product, therefore everyone associated with United will need to exercise patience with him so that he may realize his full potential.
Nottingham Forest outperformed expectations by making it to the Carabao Cup semifinals, but this season, maintaining their Premier League status must come before winning a Wembley final. Steve Cooper’s squad has shown enough to suggest they will be successful in their attempt to avoid sliding out of the Premier League after only one season back in the top division, even if they were defeated by United in this quarterfinal first leg.
Young players Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson, who both shone against United, are two major causes for hope at the City Ground.
Johnson, 21, comes from a long line of football players. His father, David, had a great career at Forest after making his debut in United’s illustrious Class of ’92 alongside David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Gary Neville. If he continues the frenetic tempo that worried United all night, he could soar even higher than his father. Johnson may be an important player for Forest in the remaining months of the season and have a long career at the top thanks to this important quality.
Another person with a bright future is Gibbs-White. The 22-year-old offered Forest energy and presence in midfield and looked fully at ease against United’s Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, and Bruno Fernandes. He was a club record £42.5 million transfer from Wolves last summer.
Although it will be difficult for Forest to retain both players, if they can assist the team stay in the playoffs this year, they will have made a significant contribution.
