(Football news) Manchester United restarted their domestic campaign with a win over Burnley to progress into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Christian Eriksen opened the scoring in the 27th minute after some excellent work by right back Aaron Wan Bissaka. Marcus Rashford then doubled the advantage with a fantastic solo effort in the 57th minute to give Erik ten Hag’s side complete control over the fixture. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley had a few chances and Manchester United’s goalkeeper Martin Dubravka looked shaky but they still couldn’t find a breakthrough.
With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane currently on leave after playing in the World Cup final and Harry Maguire ill, Casemiro was forced to play in centre back and despite some nervy moments, the Brazilian did reasonably well to ensure his side finished with a clean sheet. Bruno Fernandes continued his fine World Cup form by providing the creative output in attack. The Portuguese midfielder passed the ball to Wan Bissaka who provided the assist for Eriksen in the opening goal. Despite Dubravka’s shaky goalkeeping, a second goal by Marcus Rashford, who made a run from the halfway line and finished the move with a fine finish ensured Burnley had no chance of a comeback.
The match marked a new beginning for Manchester United in the post Cristiano Ronaldo era and the Carabao Cup represents the club’s best opportunity to win silverware this season and break their five year trophy drought. For Erik ten Hag, this was not only a confidence boosting win but gave his team some vital minutes before their Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest on December 27th. The Dutch manager was asked about Ronaldo in the post match press conference and he said “I gave you all the opportunity, many of you were in Spain. We made the statement, we look to the future.”
However, the matchday programme did mention Cristiano Ronaldo in no less than 81 words within the ‘Worth Knowing’ feature of pages six and seven of the United Review. It read “Cristiano Ronaldo left the club by mutual agreement last month. The Portuguese superstar scored 145 goals across two spells and 436 appearances, and helped us win three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Ronaldo was also crowned Ballon d’Or winner in 2008. In a statement on November 22, the club put on record its gratitude for Cristiano’s immense contribution and wished him and his family well for the future.”
Also read: Charlton stun Brighton, Forest thrash Blackburn to advance to the next round
