Manchester United made it two wins in the space of four days against Brighton & Hove Albion as United cruised into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 3-0 against them on Wednesday night.
Scott McTominay opened United’s account on the 44th-minute through a header at the Amex Stadium in a game that was less frantic and dramatic than the fixture in the Premier League on Saturday.
However, late goals from Juan Mata and substitute Paul Pogba sealed their passage into the next round.
Watch the match highlights below
Chances were very few between both teams in the first half.
Odion Ighalo couldn’t fire home after he was presented with a half-chance by Mata on 18 minutes but the striker only managed to hit the side netting from a tight angle.
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Eight minutes later, Dean Henderson was put to a test as he had to get down low to his right to deny Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s effort from the edge of the box.
United, however, made a breakthrough just before the break.
Mata won a free-kick off of Dan Burn and then swung it into the box himself, finding McTominay unmarked in the middle to head home.
Brighton’s boss, Graham Potter, reacted early in the second half, introducing Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard. The latter had the best chance of the evening for the home side on the 67-minute but his fierce effort was brilliantly kept out by Henderson.
Mata followed up his assist for the first with a fine second on 73 minutes to take the game out of the hosts’ reach, starting and finishing a move himself as he latched onto a cheeky flicked pass from Donny van de Beek and then found the bottom corner.
It was game over in the 80th minute as Pogba’s free-kick took a big deflection off the wall before curling into the top corner just inside the near post.
Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres send City through to the last eight
Carabao Cup holders Manchester City eased into the quarter-finals with a comfortable 3-0 win at Burnley.
Raheem Sterling struck twice while summer signing Ferran Torres also claimed his first goal for the club as City, bidding for a fourth successive triumph in the competition, made light work of the Clarets at Turf Moor.
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City would have strolled to a more emphatic victory if not for a fine performance by Clarets second-choice goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
Although Burnley had endured a tough start to the campaign, the Northern Irishman’s display, added to the team’s general high work rate and the return from injury of James Tarkowski and Ashley Barnes ensured there were positives for Sean Dyche.
Yet it was City’s night.
Manager Pep Guardiola might have picked a less experienced side due to their recent injury problems but, after Sunday’s 5-2 hammering at the hands of Leicester, there was presumably a desire to deliver a strong performance.
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