As a result of their 3-0 victory over Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford, Manchester United has advanced to the Carabao Cup semifinals. Although Antony scored a fantastic first-half goal, United’s advancement past the League One team was only guaranteed when replacement Marcus Rashford scored twice in stoppage time to score for the sixth consecutive game. For the best sports betting offers of January make sure to visit our pages!
Erik ten Hag, hired as manager in the summer, is into his first cup quarterfinal as United chases their first title since 2017.
United hasn’t won a trophy in more than five years, but Ten Hag has given himself a chance to break the dry spell at the earliest opportunity.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it to the 2021 Europa League final as well as the semifinals of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League. Ten Hag is two games away from a Wembley final and the potential to win his first trophy as United manager after defeating Charlton in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.
The success of his tenure at Old Trafford will be measured by whether he can win the Premier League or the Champions League, but the Carabao Cup is a fantastic place to start for a team lacking in success. Sir Alex Ferguson began with the FA Cup in 1990 and went on to win everything, and during his time as manager, Solskjaer frequently emphasized the importance of cup tournaments as a stepping stone to greater and better rewards.
Ten Hag is astute enough to understand that winning a trophy—and trophies—as well as being in the top four would mark a good first season. By advancing to his first semifinal, he has given himself a chance to do so just a few months after taking over.
United said to candidates that they were seeking a manager who could win trophies, play attractive football, and bring youngsters into the first team from the academy when they were looking for a new permanent manager to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ten Hag hasn’t got an opportunity to win a title yet, but he’s made a good start with the young players. Against Charlton, he started both midfielders Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, who is 17 years old.
The 18-year-old Garnacho made his debut last year but has since established himself in Ten Hag’s starting lineup, scoring goals against Real Sociedad and Fulham.
Main continues to alternate between the Under-21s and the first team; on Friday, he started for the U21s at Fulham as Ten Hag’s squad defeated Everton in the FA Cup. Nevertheless, Mainoo has shown enough in training to earn his first taste of senior football.
The 19-year-old defender Rhys Bennett and Zidane Iqbal were both on the roster for the match against Charlton and, most recently, the victory against Nottingham Forest on December 27. Ten Hag is under pressure to succeed right away, but he’s also keeping his word to look ahead.
Even van Hag could have been taken aback by Charlton’s tenacity after stating in his program notes before the game that his team “would not underestimate the level necessary.”
The Dutchman, who had a derby against Manchester City on Saturday, was probably not planning to bring on Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, and Rashford after 60 minutes with the score at 1-0, but he was sufficiently worried. Tom Heaton, who is making his complete debut in goal, deserves praise for controlling his penalty area to claim many high balls into the box.
Dean Holden, the manager of Charlton, who last won on the road at Old Trafford in 1986, did enough to give his 9,000 traveling supporters much to cheer about. In the second half, in particular, they gave the Premier League defense some cause for concern.
Only two losses since Holden’s appointment in December, and for a substantial stretch of the contest, Antony’s magnificent strike proved to be the deciding factor between the two teams. There are several advantages that Charlton and Holden can take into their next game against Barnsley on Saturday.
