Capital One Cup, Britannia Stadium - Stoke City 0 Manchester United 2 (Young 62, Evra 78)
- Eurosport - Manchester United's manager David Moyes (L) leaves the pitch after referee Mark Clattenburg (not pictured) suspended play temporarily due to bad weather during their English League Cup quarter-final
Manchester United reached the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory at Stoke City in atrocious weather conditions.
In the first half, disrupted by a 10-minute break for hail, neither side created much, but Stoke had chances through a Geoff Cameron shot and Glenn Whelan free-kick. Both went well over.
United also went close with an Ashley Young shot from just inside the area, and Jonny Evans should have done better when a corner was flicked onto him at the near post.
United took the lead in the second half when Young took the ball off Javier Hernandez’s toes, striking the ball with such ferocity that Thomas Sorensen was unable to save.
On the 78th minute Patrice Evra doubled United’s lead, curling a shot from just inside the box.
Stoke tried to rally towards the end of the match, but had neither the quality nor the tactics to get close to pulling one back.
United face Sunderland in the semis, with the prospect of a derby against Manchester City in the final.
KEY EVENTS
11’ - CAMERON CHANCE - Geoff Cameron plays a one-two outside the box with Jonathan Walters but shoots over the bar.
19’ - ASSAIDI ATTEMPT - Beating the attentions of Rafael, Oussama Assaidi curls his shot high and wide.
45+1’ - EVANS MISS - Jonny Evans gets to a glancing header from a corner, but can only bounce the ball limply towards Sorensen.
62’ - GOAL (Stoke 0-1 United) - Ashley Young races onto a ball forward and smashes his shot past Sorensen from the edge of the box.
78’ - GOAL (Stoke 0-2 United) - Patrice Evra collects the ball on the left, advances into the penalty box and curls a ball past Sorensen’s dive, against the post and in.
TALKING POINT
Has Ashley Young done enough to secure a move away to a decent club? It is fairly obvious that the United fans do not want him, and likely that David Moyes doesn’t either. Although he scored tonight his all-round play was disappointing, and it is hard to see a club wanting him in their squad.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Patrice Evra (Manchester United): The Manchester United left-back should be praised for his courage, his strength and his indefatigability after a tireless display and goal against Stoke City.
KEY STATS
This is Stoke’s first home cup defeat to Manchester United. Manchester United have now won the last five matches between the two sides.
This is Manchester United’s first quarter final victory in their last three attempts.
PLAYER RATINGS
Stoke City: Sorensen 6, Cameron 6, Shawcross 5, Wilson 5, Pieters 5, Walters 6, Palacios 5, Ireland 5, Whelan 5, Assaidi 6, Crouch 6; Subs: Arnautovic 6, Adam 6
Man Utd: De Gea 6, Rafael 6, Smalling 6, Evans 6, Evra 7, Valencia 6, Cleverley 6, Jones 5, Anderson 5, Young 6, Welbeck 6; Subs: Hernandez 6, Fletcher 6
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