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Cape Town - Manchester United continued their title defence with a 2-0 victory over Swansea in the EFL Cup fourth round at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday.
Match Summary
Jose Mourinho's side were looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, against Huddersfield on Saturday, and goals in each half from Jesse Lingard booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Full Report
The visitors almost got off to a flying start in South Wales when they won a corner that was headed wide of goal by skipper Chris Smalling in the second minute.
Patient build-up play from United led to a chance for Lingard on six minutes and he tested Kristoffer Nordfeldt with a shot from 25 yards out that was tipped over the crossbar.
Paul Clement's men threatened for the first time on 12 minutes when Jordan Ayew picked out Martin Olsson on the left and the defender's cross was met by Wayne Routledge at the back post, but his looping header was easily gathered by Sergio Romero.
The Red Devils carved open the home defence with two passes on 21 minutes to break the deadlock as Marcus Rashford flicked Ander Herrera's low ball into the path of Lingard, who fired past Nordfeldt inside the area.
The Swans nearly hit back 10 minutes later when a mistimed clearance from Daley Blind deflected off Oliver McBurnie's thigh and went just wide of the target.
Scott McTominay should have done better on 43 minutes after being picked out in space outside the box by Anthony Martial's cut-back on the right, but the midfielder blazed over.
United were almost made to pay moments later when Sam Clucas found space for a shot that he curled narrowly wide of the left post from 25 yards out.
However, a second goal from Lingard 14 minutes into the second half put them firmly in the driving seat, with the England international heading Matteo Darmian's cross into the left corner of the net from all of 18 yards out.
Lingard squandered the chance to grab a hat-trick on 65 minutes as he flashed an effort across the face of goal after being played in by Blind, while Axel Tuanzebe failed to hit the target from just three yards out when Nordfeldt parried Smalling's header into his path in the 69th minute.
Romero was kept on his toes by Tammy Abraham on 75 minutes, tipping over the substitute's shot from just outside the box, before making a more routine save from Ayew's direct free-kick two minutes later.
The United keeper preserved his clean sheet at the death with a save from point-blank range to deny another sub, Leroy Fer, at the back post from a corner.
