MANCHESTER UNITED booked their passage into the Carabao Cup fourth round but it was a far from convincing performance from the fringe players.
Juan Mata opened the scoring against Championship side Luton from the penalty spot after Brandon Williams was hacked down.
Juan Mata scored the opening goal of the game from the spotCredit: AP:Associated Press
Marcus Rashford then put the game beyond doubt moments after coming on from the bench before fellow sub Mason Greenwood bagged a third at the death.
Dean Henderson made his debut in goal for the visitors while Donny van de Beek was handed his first start.
Here, SunSport’s Richard Forrester gives his player ratings following United’s 3-0 win.
Henderson 7/10 – Barely had anything to do throughout the contest but was called into action on 80 minutes by making a crucial save from a corner.
Important not to have made any mistakes and Henderson looked at home in a United shirt.
Wan-Bissaka 6/10 – Didn’t get forward as much as he usually would – that was left to Williams on the other side.
Caught out once or twice down the right but solid overall. Needs more minutes in the tank.
Maguire 5/10 – Remains a real problem for Solskjaer. Poor with his distribution and lacked organisation at the back when Luton troubled United’s defence.
Maguire’s performances are proving a cause for concernCredit: PA:Press Association
Bailly 6/10 – His pace remains a positive but a lack of positioning means he gets caught out. He did make a goal-saving block late on in the contest.
A few lapses in concentration caused United issues but his athleticism is beneficial to Maguire.
Williams 8/10 – Won the penalty in the 42nd minute with his smart movement in the box.
Bags of energy bursting down the flanks and showed remarkable fitness to get back into position on Luton’s counter-attack. Should give Luke Shaw a run for his money in the first team.
Matic 6/10 – Obviously rusty after making his first appearance of the season and struggled for pace against Luton’s midfield.
Kept the ball well on occasions but needs more minutes to show more dominance in matches. Tested the keeper the a couple of powerful left-footed efforts.
Fred 6/10 – Competition is rife for places in midfield and Fred can’t afford any bad performances. A steady match, although didn’t produce anything spectacular.
Van de Beek 7/10 – A clever player, often on different wavelengths to his team-mates. Makes smart runs into the box and finds pockets of space when United are attacking.
Does not shy away from a challenge either. Almost scored with 15 minutes to play.
Van de Beek proved he can be a real asset for UnitedCredit: EPA
Mata 8/10 – Opened the scoring with a well-dispatched strike from the spot. Was probably United’s biggest attacking threat and produced rare moments of class to help cut open Luton’s defence.
Will give Solskjaer confidence he can still perform at the top level.
Lingard 5/10 – Plenty of running and effort but a lack of quality in the final third. Not for the want of trying but will struggle to force himself into United’s forward line on this performance.
Needs a fresh challenge and a real regular run in the first-team – just not United’s.
Ighalo 3/10 – Pretty ineffectual throughout the contest although slightly improved as the game went on.
Has barely featured recently and it is unlikely we’ll see much more of him in a United shirt except the odd cup clash.
Subs
Rashford (on 79) – scored a well taken second to put the game beyond doubt.
Greenwood (on 78) – First goal of the season in the few final seconds of the matches will do him the world of good after a difficult summer. Assisted Rashford too.
Fernandes (78) – Played a key role for the second goal.
Ex-Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has a football tournament in his backyard
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
