EFL Cup Quarter-final
Manchester United vs. West Ham United
Venue: Old Trafford
Date: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Manchester United booked their place in this season’s EFL Cup semi-final with a comprehensive 4-1 victory against West Ham United.
The game began with a case of déjà vu from the weekend’s league meeting between the sides, as a second minute goal was cancelled out in the first half, as Ibrahimovic opened proceedings before Ashley Fletcher equalised against the club he departed in the summer.
It was another young forward who grabbed the headlines, however, as Anthony Martial’s second half brace and Ibrahimovic’s second secured Jose Mourinho’s side’s progress into the last four.
It took just 93 seconds for the opening goal to occur, as Wayne Rooney’s clever pass found Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and his equally neat back-heel played in Ibrahimovic, who dinked past the onrushing Adrian to finish, purposely caught by the keeper in the process.
The Swedish striker then saw a double effort saved when he might’ve played in Martial, as Adrian tipped wide a Rooney free-kick from the left-hand corner of the box.
A burst of speed set Martial away, but his promising run didn’t have the finish to match, blazing over in a good position, before striking a tame shot towards goal which was held with ease.
The wasted opportunities proved costly when Dimitri Payet cut inside from the left and saw a swerving shot parried by David De Gea, as Fletcher was left to tap home the rebound against his old side.
It was a back-heel that set up the first goal and another from Antonio Valencia after the break played in Mkhitaryan, whose cut back was sublimely finished off by Martial with a first time finish into the top corner.
Rooney saw yellow, ruling him out of Sunday’s trip to former club Everton, and his threaded pass found Martial, whose left foot shot was saved.
Ibrahimovic saw a low and powerful free-kick held after it skidded off the surface, before he was involved in the third goal moments later.
It was his through ball that found Valencia in on the right, and the Ecuadorian’s low cross was tapped in by Martial with another first tile finish, keeping his composure to seal the tie.
In another excellent performance as he searches to reclaim his place, Rooney curled wide, before Mkhitaryan’s shot deflected over as Adrian’s low save tipped wide Ibrahimovic’s slotted attempt.
After a rapturous reception on his return to the team from the bench, Bastian Schweinsteiger fired wide, as a double chance at the other end from Sofiane Feghouli saw the Algerian flash wide before curling over from Cheikhou Kouyate’s pull back.
Deep into stoppage time, Rooney’s quick throw allowed Schweinsteiger to play through Ander Herrera, and good play from the Spaniard allowed Ibrahimovic to tap home his low cross to add some gloss onto the scoreline.
The scoreline itself reflects the performance, as this was another dominant display like in the league in recent weeks.
There was a ruthless nature about United tonight and a deserved victory, with the front four particularly fluent.
They will face Hull City in the semi-final, with the first leg at Old Trafford in the week commencing January 9, with the return leg two weeks later; Southampton versus Liverpool completes the draw.
Up next for United is a trip to Everton at 4pm on Sunday, looking to continue the positive displays and earn a much-needed result in the league.
Line-ups:
Manchester United: De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Shaw (Blind 46); Herrera, Carrick; Mkhitaryan (Rashford 90), Rooney, Martial (Schweinsteiger 86); Ibrahimovic.
Subs not used: Romero, Schneiderlin, Mata, Lingard.
Manager: Jose Mourinho
West Ham United: Adrian; Kouyate, Reid, Ogbonna; Antonio (Lanzini 58), Obiang, Fernandes, Cresswell (Masuaku 45); Feghouli, Fletcher, Payet (Zaza 76).
Subs not used: Randolph, Nordtveit, Noble, Collins.
Manager: Slaven Bilic
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