Manchester United shrugged off their mauling against Manchester City to book their place in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Tuesday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Aldershot. With United licking their wounds after Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing, manager Sir Alex Ferguson took no chances, naming an experienced side to face Aldershot, from the fourth tier of English football. Nemanja Vidic captained the side, with Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov paired in attack and Tom Cleverley making his first appearance in six weeks following injury. Any hopes of a fairytale upset for Aldershot were effectively snuffed out in the first half, Berbatov and Owen putting the visitors 2-0 up before Antonio Valencia killed the game off just after half-time.
Owen later admitted United’s players felt under pressure to deliver after Sunday’s humiliation at Old Trafford. “I suppose so. We were a little bit under pressure with the result at the weekend,” Owen told Sky Sports. “Although no-one here started at the weekend you still have Manchester United’s reputation to look after. So whatever side was put out we wanted to bounce back and thankfully we got the win.
