Erik ten Hag clearly expressed his emotions when Marcus Rashford gave up the penalty kick to Antony in Manchester United’s 7-0 win over Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Manchester United won 7-0 against Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford today 18-9 with goals from Marcus Rashford, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen . But it was Rashford’s penalty that attracted attention.
Erik ten Hag was full of praise for Rashford’s decision to let Antony take the penalty. Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored twice. But it was the way Antony scored that really pleased United manager Erik Ten Hag.
The £86m signing had not scored since April, but after winning a first-half penalty, Rashford and Casemiro combined to ensure Antony got the chance, calmly slotting home from 11 yards to put United 2-0 up.
Casemiro, United’s captain for the game, played a key role in ensuring the ball reached his fellow Brazilian.
Marcus Rashford initially prepared to take the penalty after Barnsley goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina was fouled in the box. Casemiro was seen pointing towards Antony and Rashford let him take the spot-kick. Ten Hag was delighted to see his players working together on a very positive night.
Speaking about the form of some of MU’s strikers, coach Erik Ten Hag said: “They also support each other and give each other chances to score.
Like the penalty when Antony needed a bit of confidence, then Rashford gave the ball to Antony, that’s very good in a team. They are like that, they unite together.”
This is the night that helps MU to be much more confident in the upcoming journey, the 7-0 victory over Barnsley followed by the 3-0 victory over Southampton, which means MU scored 10 goals in 2 matches without conceding. Ten Hag himself also had the biggest victory as MU head coach.
Before the upcoming tight schedule, coach Ten Hag affirmed that he will rotate the squad to help the players have the best physical condition. The proof is that Ten Hag made 8 personnel changes in the match against Barnsley compared to the match against Southampton.
“We have to rotate and rotate the squad because we have a lot of games and we have to manage the squad,” United manager Erik Ten Hag told Sky Sports. “You need everyone, you can’t talk about the starting 11. You have to give everyone in the squad game time if they can.
“We need all the players in the squad, we are in five competitions. We want to win but there is internal competition. We have to find out which team is the best, the best understanding and this is the time for some players to prove themselves.”
