Tonight's Carling Cup 4th round clash saw United recover from their weekend mauling with a comfortable win at the expense of League Two outfit Aldershot.
In a revamped side, the Reds strolled to victory with little worries. Dimitar Berbatov notched his first goal of the season with a tidy finish from Ji-Sung Park's pass to put the Reds 1-0 up after a quarter of an hour. From then the win was never in doubt, with Michael Owen bagging his customary goal before half-time. It was more of the same after the break with Antonio Valencia's fearsome strike from 25 yards out finding the back of the net making it 3-0 and game over.
Aldershot had their moments in the second half with flashes of a threat, with winger Jermaine McGlashan showing a lot of pace and trickery, and Luke Guttridge going close with a couple of long-range efforts. But United remained solid at the back, helped with the return of captain Nemanja Vidic and impressive youngster Ezekiel Fryers. The gulf in class was evident to see, but Dean Holdsworth's side put up a valiant display and were no disgrace.
Berbatov was lively all night and at the heart of much of United's good work to stake a claim for a starting place at Everton at the weekend. Tom Cleverley was also sharp, showing some neat touches and link-up play before being taken off, gaining an hour of football on his return from injury. Reds fans also saw a first glimpse at Ravel Morrison in first team action, and he quickly settled in, always wanting the ball and showing dazzling feet and pace. Definitely one to watch for the future.
So United are safely through to the 5th round of the Carling Cup. Their minds now turn to Premier League action again as Fergie's men look to gain 3 points, and put the 6-1 hammering to bed.
United Team
Amos, 7, Jones, 7, Vidic, 6, Fabio, 6, Fryers, 6 (M Keane), Valencia, 7, Cleverley, 7 (Pogba), Park, 6, Diouf, 6 (Morrison), Owen, 7, Berbatov, 8.
RDI's Man of the Match
Dimitar Berbatov - Scored with a cool finish before setting up the second for Owen. Berbatov was classy on the ball and a constant threat all night.
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