Manchester United cruised into the final of the 2023 EFL Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday. United went into the clash with a 3-0 lead from the first leg.
New Delhi,UPDATED: February 2, 2023 09:51 IST
Martial and Fred scored United’s goal on Wednesday (Courtesy: Reuters)
By India Today Web Desk: Manchester United gave manager Erik ten Hag an early birthday present as they defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday to progress to the final
Antony Martial and Fred were on the scoresheet for the Red Devils, who now face Newcastle United on February 26 in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Ten Hag had named a strong line-up for the clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday, despite holding a 3-0 aggregate lead from the first leg last week.
The first half saw both teams fail to create some clear cut chances as United didn’t seem to be at their best. They almost paid for it as Brennan Johnson had a glorious chance to give Forest the lead in the game. But his shot was easily saved by Tom Heaton.
The best chance of the first half fell to Wout Weghorst. The Dutch striker got a header from Casemiro’s cross but it bounced off the post as the two teams went into the break tied at 0-0.
The second half saw United come out with more intent and eager to add to their overall overall lead of the match. Ten Hag decided to shuffle their pack and made a triple change in the 62nd minute as Marcus Rashford, Antony Martial and Jadon Sancho entered the field. Sancho, who had been sidelined for some time, received a warm welcome from the Old Trafford faithful.
The changes worked for United as they broke the deadlock through Martial in the 70th minute when a lucky rebound inside the box fell to his feet.
Three minutes later, Fred put the contest to bed. Bruno Fernandes sent a delicious through ball to Rashford, who cushioned it to the Brazilian midfielder, who bundled it home to make it 2-0 on the night.
United will be hoping for their first silverware since 2017 when they take on Newcastle at Wembley this month.
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February 2, 2023
