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Northampton vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from EFL Cup 3rd-Round Match
- Updated: September 21, 2016
Manchester United claimed their first win in four matches, beating Northampton Town 3-1 at Sixfields Stadium to advance to the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Michael Carrick opened the scoring with a sumptuous effort, but an Alex Revell penalty kick ensured the teams went in level at the break.
Ander Herrera’s fine strike put United back in front in the second half, and substitute Marcus Rashford capitalised on a goalkeeper error to add a third.
United started brightly and forged two chances in the opening minutes, but both were squandered by Wayne Rooney, who started up front.
On the turn, he fired straight at goalkeeper Adam Smith from close range and then missed the target from eight yards out after inadvertently blocking a promising effort by Carrick, via Sky Sports Football:
WATCH: Rooney misses a glaring opportunity to put #MUFC ahead against #NTFC. Watch on SS1 or https://t.co/gGdfh36xrU https://t.co/sQCYFGjZda
— Sky Football ⚽️ (@SkyFootball) September 21, 2016
As Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker noted, Rooney should have done better:
Very generous of Rooney to keep this interesting by missing an absolute sitter.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) September 21, 2016
The Cobblers gifted United an opportunity when Smith picked up a back pass, handing United a free-kick inside the area.
Rooney saw his effort blocked, but Carrick—who had enjoyed an excellent start to proceedings—pounced on the rebound and curled his effort into the back of the net from the edge of the box.
Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News was among those praising the veteran:
Carrick unsurprisingly class against a team sitting …
