Manchester United kicked off their Carabao Cup campaign in emphatic style with a 7-0 win over Barnsley.
The Red Devils put on a dominant display at Old Trafford to secure one of the biggest wins in Manchester United’s history and the biggest so far under Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman made eight changes to the lineup that started against Southampton, with summer signing Manuel Ugarte making his full debut in midfield.
United’s front three all scored in the first half. Marcus Rashford, full of confidence after his goal against the Saints, opened the scoring before adding to his tally in the second half.
Alejandro Garnacho enjoyed a “superstar” performance as he continued his superb start to the season with two goals and two assists
Christian Eriksen is Manchester United’s unsung hero
The attacking duo of Alejandro Garnacho and Rashford will deservedly hog the headlines for their impressive displays, but United’s unsung hero sat just behind them in midfield.
Club captain Bruno Fernandes was given a small rest against Barnsley before making a late substitute appearance. Christian Eriksen was given the nod to take his place in the advanced midfield role.
Ten Hag’s decision to start Eriksen against Southampton was a masterstroke and the Danish midfielder carried his strong form into the Carabao Cup clash against Barnsley.
He repeatedly cut through Barnsley’s defence by picking up the ball in space before finding pinpoint passes to the front three.
Eriksen ended the match with 65 touches and a mind-boggling 96 percent pass accuracy. He picked up an assist after finding Garnacho brilliantly for 4-0 and then added two goals of his own late on.
It was a simply flawless performance from the 32-year-old, who also put in a shift defensively, winning 75 percent of his duels.
Ten Hag has been criticised for struggling to find the right balance in United’s midfield but he got it spot on against Barnsley with Eriksen, Casemiro and Ugarte.
Christian Eriksen’s future at Manchester United
Eriksen came extremely close to leaving Manchester United this summer, only for a late move to collapse.
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