Manchester United 4-2 Aston Villa: Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes score in thrilling win

Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4-2 in the third round of the EFL Cup after a breathlessly brilliant second period.

A truly horrendous first half yielded nothing in the way of action, but seeing that it’s incumbent upon us to report some, Scott McTominay headed a Douglas Luiz corner off the line, though had he not, Martin Dubravka was on-hand to punch clear.

The second half, though was astonishingly different. On 48 minutes, Ollie Watkins was sent though to finish adroitly then, 19 seconds after the restart, Anthony Martial tapped home an equaliser when fed by Bruno Fernandes.

More end-to-end action followed before, on 61 minutes, a Diogo Dalot own goal put the visitors back in front.

United, though, kept at it, and Marcus Rashford equalised on 67 before Fernandes’ possibly goal-bound shot was slammed past Robin Olsen by the sliding Tyrone Mings.

McTominay then slid home a fine lofted cross from Alejandro Garnacho to seal the win.

This was the third game in a row in which Erik ten Hag picked Donny van de Beek, and it remains impossible to fathom why. He has done near enough nothing for Manchester United – in the two-and-a-bit seasons he’s been at Old Trafford, he has produced not a single good game, and neither Ole Gunnar Solskjaer nor Ralf Rangnick could bring themselves to select him.

With good reason. Not only is he slow and weak, but he has no edge, and it is hilariously easy to forget that he’s playing. But that is not even the worst of it.

By deploying him in his favourite No. 10 position, Ten Hag is forcing Bruno Fernandes, his best player and most likely source of a goal, away from the middle of the pitch and out wide, from where it is much harder for him to affect the game - we saw the difference when Van de Beek went off and he moved infield - as well as ruining his team’s balance by robbing it off a winger with pace, able to stretch the play.

In Van de Beek’s defence, he’s feeling his way back from injury, but nothing he’s done since joining United has suggested he’s good enough, and Ten Hag needs to accept this forthwith.

Bruno Fernandes (Man United) Made his team’s first goal, scored their third, and generally changed the game once moved infield.

Man Utd: Dubravka 6, Dalot 5, Lindelof 5, Maguire 5, Malacia 7, McTominay 7, Fred 6, Van de Beek 4, Fernandes 8, Rashford 8, Martial 7. Subs: Garnacho 8, Elanga 6, Eriksen 7, Casemiro 6, Martinez 6.

Aston Villa: Olsen 5, Young 6, Konsa 6, Chambers 6, Augustinsson 6, Ramsey 7, Kamara 6, Douglas Luiz 6, McGinn 5, Watkins 7, Ings 6. Subs: Mings 5, Buendia 6, Bailey 6, Digne 6, Cash 6.

48’ - GOAL! Man United 0-1 Aston Villa (Watkins) Well! Martial is too slow on the ball, Fred pokes it into Ramsety and is too busy appealing for handball to chase the man. Meantime, Watkins pulls off Maguire, the pass goes in behind, and Watkins stretches clear and lifts expertly over Dubravka's dive!

49’ - GOAL! Man United 1-1 Aston Villa (Martial) What is going on?! Dalot humps one over the top - united have been trying to get in behind all night - and this time Bruno times his run, advances, and squares to give Martial a tap-in. That took19 seconds from kick-off, and it appears that a game of association football has broken out.

61’ - GOAL! Man United 1-2 Aston Villa (Dalot own goal) Young's allowed to run with the ball unmolested, dinks a decent ball to the back post, and Bailey, who's pulled off Dalot heads back across goal whereupon the aforementioned Dalot automatically extends a foot and sticks the ball past Dubravka.

67’- GOAL! Man United 2-2 Aston Villa (Rashford) This is a terrific goal. Malacia hits another ball over the top for Rashford, whose flick-in finds Eriksen, down the left of the box. When he's challenged, the ball breaks nicely for Rashdford, arriving onto the scene, and he hurdles Mings' slip, rides another challenge from Augustinsson - if he goes down under either, it's a penalty - and clips an excellent finish inside the near post. What a game!.

79’ - GOAL! Man United 3-2 Aston Villa (Fernandes) Villa have been passing out poorly all night, and Olsen sends this one straight to Garnacho, who squares for Bruno, putting him in. under pressure, he shoots with the outside of his right foot and it's on target but potentially saveable ... only for Mings to slide in and smash it home.

90+1’ - GOAL! Man United 4-2 Aston Villa (McTominay) United do finish it! I said it once, I'll say it again: Alejandro Garnacho is a player. Bruno finds him on the left, he looks up, spots the run of McTominay, and measured a gorgeous pass onto the end of a stretch that sends the ball hurtling past Olsen.