Marcus Rashford closes in on Man United history in record win over Barnsley | OneFootball

It was a night of records for Manchester United as they beat Barnsley in the EFL Cup third round.

The Red Devils went into their game against the League One side looking to avoid an upset. They hadn’t lost to lower-league opposition in the EFL Cup since their penalty-shootout defeat to Derby County in September 2018.

But there may have been some pessimism among Man United fans. Although they did beat Southampton in the Premier League at the weekend, Man United haven’t exactly inspired confidence this season.

There was no need for Man United fans to be worried. Despite rotating, Erik ten Hag was still able to name a strong XI for the visit of Barnsley. Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot were among the starters at Old Trafford.

Primarily playing on the wing in the Premier League, Rashford led the line for Man United and opened the scoring in the 16th minute. It was a goal many had hoped would come, after Rashford opened his account for the season at the weekend.

The goal against Southampton ended a run 12 games without a goal for Rashford across all competitions, since netting in Man United’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool. And Rashford looks to have taken confidence from it.

Rashford scored twice in the win over Barnsley, also grabbing the fifth of the night. They were Rashford’s 15th and 16th goals for Man United in the EFL Cup, tying Mark Hughes’ record in the competition. Rashford is now just three goals before Brian McClair who scored 19 goals in 45 EFL Cup games for Man United.

Rashford’s 16 goals in the EFL Cup have come in 24 games for Man United, with an average of 1.1 goals per 90 minutes in the competition. He’s only failed to score in the EFL Cup in one of his seven seasons in competition, and that was as he only played 25 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Newcastle last year. En route to Man United winning the EFL Cup in 2022-23, Rashford scored six goals and only failed to score in one of their matches.

Should Man United advance further in the competition, there’s every chance of Rashford breaking that record outright this season. And the hope is that he will continue his scoring form.

“It’s early to say but I hope so,” Rashford told Sky Sports said regarding the potential of goals to start flowing.

“We’ll move onto the next game now and just rest, recover and focus on the next one.

“Football is football – sometimes you have ups and, sometimes, you have downs. We have to use these games to find momentum, find consistency and try your best to bring your best level in each game.”

The 7-0 win over Barnsley was Man United’s biggest victory since Ten Hag took charge in August 2022. Before Tuesday night, Man United hadn’t won a game by more than three goals under Ten Hag. It was also Man United’s biggest win on record in the EFL Cup, beating four previous victories by five goals.

For Ten Hag, it was the Dutchman’s biggest victory as a manager since his Ajax side beat Excelsior Maassluis 9-0 in the third round of the KNVB Beker. Throughout his career, Ten Hag has overseen a 13-0 win, two 9-0s and an 8-0, with this being his third 7-0 success.

Not a bad win to bring some happiness back to Old Trafford.