Manchester United’s class told as they advanced to the Carling Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over League Two Aldershot Town on Tuesday.
Ferguson and his squad were still smarting from their 6-1 annihilation by Manchester City on Sunday, and – completely changed as the side was - there were not too many unfamiliar names on show, with Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia netting at the EBB Stadium.
It will take more than this result to wash the memory of Sunday away. Nevertheless, a United side that also included captain Nemanja Vidic, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Ji Sung Park performed in a professional manner.
Aldershot, a club reformed in 1992 following the demise of old league club Aldershot FC, conceded an early chance to the returning Cleverley but he shot over Ross Worner’s bar. However, after missing six weeks with a foot injury, United’s promising young midfielder was involved when they took the lead after 15 minutes.
Park played a one-two with Cleverley, the South Korean finding the space to collect the return and lay the ball off for Berbatov. He then duly eased his first goal of the season into Worner’s net.
Fabio Da Silva shot wide as United looked for a quick-fire second.Dean Holdsworth’s side then looked to throw a curveball into matters, only for Jermaine McGlashan’s powerful run to end with a thumping drive that only just cleared Ben Amos’ crossbar.
Danny Hylton, whose winning goal knocked out West Ham earlier in the competition, also had a pop at the Red Devils goal, but such chances did not come often for Aldershot. United were going close more regularly, as Berbatov and Mame Biram Diouf cleared the bar with headers before Owen earned Ferguson’s men a 2-0 half-time advantage.
Berbatov was involved as the visitors ripped Aldershot open down the right. The Bulgarian pulled the ball back for Owen, who ran into the area to fire home his third goal in this season’s competition with a shot that Worner got a hand to but could not hold.
Valencia killed the game entirely three minutes after the restart. The Ecuador winger has endured a frustrating season that has seen him mainly picked at right back or on the bench. However, starting in his favoured role on the flank, he was in the perfect position to collect Cleverley’s short pass before ramming it high to Worner’s left hand corner from all of 25 yards out.
The remainder saw Ferguson give run-outs to youngsters Paul Pogba, Michael Keane and Ravel Morrison. Berbatov remained their most dangerous outlet though as he dragged another good chance wide, after staying onside and bounding clear of the Shots’ defence.
Chances were becoming a rarity now, however, as United played keep-ball for the majority, though Park almost got the whole way through after running from midfield and weaving his way past several men. Eventually he was grounded just outside the area, with Berbatov stepping up to blast the resulting free-kick goalward. Worner held well.
Valencia sent a couple of other United chances off target as he failed to add to his earlier screamer, while Luke Guttridge had two fine attempts from distance for the Shots.
The second of those needed saving from Amos, who succeeded in holding onto the clean sheet that David De Gea certainly failed to achieve against City on Sunday.