Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandes all scored as Manchester United put them within easy reach of the Carabao Cup final with an easy win over Nottingham Forest.
The Red Devils traveled to the City Ground for the first meeting between the two teams in the last four of this season, and the evening turned out to be easier for the Red Devils than many would have thought.
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Rashford scored again for United
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The 25-year-old is in great shape
It didn’t take long for Rashford to make an impact, with the 25-year-old scoring his tenth goal in as many games for United.
In the sixth minute of the game, the striker claimed possession inside his own half before charging towards the Forest defence.
Rashford then dribbled past Remo Freuler and Joe Worrall before firing past Wayne Hennessey at his closest post.
Speaking to talkSPORT, England legend Stuart Pearce was very impressed with what he saw from the United States man.
He said: “It was a goal from a player who is brimming with confidence.
“He picked up the ball at the halfway line, he pushed down the line with it, he decided not to go back and play upside down like you see time and time again.
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United in control of their Carabao Cup draw against Forest
“He just kept running, Freuler comes at him, Worrall comes at him. He went in between and ended up going down that access where you think it’s going to be a big deal for Forest tonight. Big goal.
Forest thought they had found an equalizer through Sam Surridge after Rashford’s effort but VAR ruled out their goal for offside.
Weghorst then doubled United’s lead on the stroke of half-time, the Dutchman scoring his first goal for the club as he fired into the roof of the net on the rebound.
And Bruno Fernandes made it game, set and match in the closing stages with a powerful effort from inside the box.
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Weghorst scores his first goal for United in his third appearance for the club
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Fernandes went on to make it 3-0 in the closing stages of the match
Despite their best efforts, Forest found no answer for the entire game and will now have to travel to Old Trafford next week for the second leg three goals clear.
The Carabao Cup final will take place on February 25, with United one step closer to returning to Wembley for the first time since 2020.
Newcastle have the advantage against Southampton in the other semi-final thanks to their 1-0 win at Saint Mary’s on Tuesday night.
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