Manchester United eased past Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, winning the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final 2-0 to produce a 5-0 aggregate triumph and book their spot in the final. It wasn’t Wout Weghorst’s night but Erik ten Hag made a late substitute that changes the course of the game, with a trip to face Newcastle at Wembley now in the diary. As the dust settles, Express Sport takes you through how those in red performed…
Tom Heaton – 6
The stand-in stopper didn’t do much wrong, but he didn’t have much to do either. Heaton produced one standard save in the first half and another from Danilo in the second, but a separate shot from Emmanuel Dennis was past him, only for his clean sheet to be preserved by a block from Forest’s Sam Surridge.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 4
The right-back has been sharp in recent weeks but he wasn’t really at the races against the Tricky Trees. A night of particularly slack passes saw him give the ball away far too frequently at Old Trafford.
Raphael Varane – 7
The most polished of United’s defenders on the night, Varane showed his confidence on the ball by wriggling out of a tight space early on and did what was required on an evening that saw the Red Devils hog possession.
Lisandro Martinez – 5
Forest did have their moments in the game but Martinez and co were hardly ever under siege. With United’s defence scarcely called into action, the Argentine generally blended into the background.
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Luke Shaw – 5
The Englishman wasn’t involved in the game’s big moments and drew criticism from Roy Keane for ‘going through the motions’, but he showed his usual energy to bomb up and down the left-hand touchline.
Casemiro – 6
Grew into the game with well-timed aggression and smart passing, but he certainly didn’t have it all his own way. Brennan Johnson dribbled past him more than once which created openings for Forest, and the former Real Madrid man should have done better with a close-range effort in the second half.
Fred – 6
An unspectacular night for the Brazilian as he played simple passes and kept the ball moving, but he was in the right position to finish from point-blank range and put United two up.
Bruno Fernandes – 7
Not a vintage display from the Portuguese but he made a telling contribution while wearing the captain’s armband, spraying an eye-catching ball over to Marcus Rashford with the outside of his right boot which played a key part in United’s second goal.
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Antony – 8
Lively and involved in the game as per usual, which is by no means a bad trait to have, even if things don’t always go his way. Forced Wayne Hennessey into a smart save and played incisive through balls to Weghorst and Wan-Bissaka that, through no fault of his own, amounted to nothing.
Alejandro Garnacho – 6
The teenager was a handful on the right flank but he continues to look slightly ragged in terms of final product. Still, United fans will have enjoyed the sight of Garnacho relishing a bust-up with Forest’s Johnson.
Wout Weghorst – 4
The giant Dutchman was virtually absent until heading onto the post before half-time, when he really should have scored. His hold-up play wasn’t as effective as usual, leading to a disappointing night on an individual level.
SUBS
Jadon Sancho (63′) – 5
Relatively anonymous after a long absence from the first team. The former Borussia Dortmund man is still easing his way back into the action.
Anthony Martial (63′) – 6
Scored the game’s opening goal but there was an element of good fortune about it. His poor pass to Rashford missed its mark but he finished well by pouncing on the loose ball.
Marcus Rashford (63′) – 8
Ten Hag made the decision to bring United’s red-hot winger on during the second half and he played a part in both goals. His good off-the-ball run led to Martial’s opener and he notched an assist by knocking a ball across the box for Fred to tap in. A productive evening off the bench.
Victor Lindelof (80′) – 5
Late substitution with the game already wrapped up.
Harry Maguire (80′) – 5
Late substitution with little time to affect the match.
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