MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United are into the semifinals of the Carabao Cup after a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford.
Antony scored a spectacular opening goal in the first half but United were only sure of progress past the League One side when substitute Marcus Rashford scored twice in stoppage time to find the net for the sixth game in a row.
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United are chasing their first trophy since 2017 and Erik ten Hag is into his first cup semifinal following his appointment as manager in the summer.
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Rapid reaction
1. Silverware in sight for Man United
It’s been more than five years since United won a trophy but Ten Hag has given himself a chance of ending the drought at the first opportunity.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reached semifinals in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League and the 2021 Europa League final but couldn’t get over the line. After beating Charlton in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals, Ten Hag is two games away from a Wembley final and the chance to collect his first piece of silverware as United manager.
His reign at Old Trafford will be judged on whether he can win the Premier League or Champions League, but for a club starved of success the Carabao Cup is a good place to start. Sir Alex Ferguson started with the FA Cup in 1990 and went on to win everything and Solskjaer said repeatedly during his spell in charge that cup competitions can provide a valuable springboard to bigger and better prizes.
Ten Hag is smart enough to know that a trophy — and trophy — and a top four finish would represent a successful first season and, into his first semifinal, he’s given himself the opportunity to win something just a few months after taking over.
2. Ten Hag following through with academy promise
When United were looking for a new permanent manager to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they told candidates they were looking for three things — a manager who could win trophies, play exciting football and bring players into the first team from the academy.
Ten Hag hasn’t had a chance to win a trophy yet but he’s made an early start with the youngsters and against Charlton he picked both Alejandro Garnacho and 17-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo from the start.
Garnacho, 18, made his debut last season but has become a fixture in the first team squad under Ten Hag, scoring against Real Sociedad and Fulham.
Mainoo is still bouncing between the Under-21s and the first team — he started for the U21s at Fulham on Friday while Ten Hag’s team were beating Everton in the FA Cup — but has impressed enough in training to get his first taste of senior football.
Zidane Iqbal, 19, was also in the squad against Charlton and 19-year-old defender Rhys Bennett was on the bench as recently as the win over Nottingham Forest on Dec. 27. Ten Hag is under pressure to win now, but he’s also making good on his promise to keep one eye on the future.
