Manchester United 1(5)-(3)1 Rochdale: 5 Talking Points | Carabao Cup

#4 Mason Greenwood and Fred ready for Arsenal?

Mason Greenwood netted for Manchester United.

Mason Greenwood had another assured outing in United colors and after scoring two goals in two starts this season, must be in contention for a starting place against Arsenal. The youngster impressed with his movements all game, before finally showing his eye for the goal in the second half. Picking up the ball inside the box, Greenwood had the maturity to make space for himself, before unleashing a low shot to give United the lead.

Fred was another player who is on the fringes of first-team and against Rochdale, had a chance to stake his claim for a first-team place. The Brazilian looked comfortable sitting alongside Pogba and dictated the play from deep.

He managed to connect the defense and the attack with uncanny ease and was stellar with his switch of play. Fred showed against Rochdale that he deserves to start in Solskjaer’s team right now and could even be pushing for a place in the starting eleven against Arsenal.

#3 United struggled to break down another team that defended deep

Manchester United v Rochdale AFC - Carabao Cup Third Round

Despite all the firepower in their ranks, Manchester United still could only put one past Rochdale at the end of 90 minutes. The League one side was inspired and committed on the field and defended with their hearts at times.

United was often sloppy with their passing in the middle of the park and was also guilty of being too casual at times in attacking positions.

The Red Devils did manage to carve out quite a few chances in the game, however, their performance in the final third was far from impressive.

Even though the home side started well on the night, they still appeared clueless at times near the opposition box. The wing play, especially on the right-hand side, was not good enough and United failed to use the game to build up their confidence. This lack of a plan in the attack has been one of the biggest problems at United right now and it has shown no signs of improving.