Carabao Cup Fourth Round:

Swansea City 0–2 Manchester United

TWO goals from midfielder Jesse Lingard ensured League Cup holders Manchester United booked their place in the last eight with a comfortable fourth round win at Swansea City.

It was Lingard's cool finish that opened the scoring midway through first half, and he headed home early in the second as Jose Mourinho's men capitalised on what was another lacklustre display from the home side.

Both sides made wholesale changes from their Premier League defeats on Saturday, with Paul Clement altering eight of his starting XI from the home loss to Leicester, most notably giving starts to Roque Mesa and Oliver Mcburnie.

Mourinho meanwhile, made seven changes to the side surprisingly beaten at Huddersfield, but his inclusion of Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Romelu Lukaku on the bench suggested he was in no mood for extra time on the night.

And it was the cup holders who started brighter, as captain Chris Smalling headed a Marcus Rashford corner wide before Lingard’s rising 20 yard shot was palmed over by Swansea keeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt.

But United centre back Victor Lindelof then nearly gifted the Swans an opening as his error led to Jordan Ayew bursting into the area, but the forward was crowded out by Smalling and Matteo Darmian as he bore down on goal.

However, 21 minutes in, it was Mourinho’s men who led in sublime fashion, when Danny Blind’s pass was flicked expertly by Rashford into the path of Lingard, and he kept his cool to place his left footed effort into the bottom corner.

Swansea almost responded fortuitously when Ki’s cross from the left was headed by Blind straight into McBurnie, who knew little about it as the ball deflected off his chest and inches wide of the post.

Then came a blow for the home side when Martin Olsson, who Clement and openly admitted the previous day was his side’s only available left back, limped off with a hamstring injury, replaced by Kyle Naughton.

And it was Naughton’s misplaced pass that almost gifted United a second goal, but Scott McTominay shot wastefully over from Anthony Martial’s cut back.

Sam Clucas did curl a 20 yard effort just wide for The Swans, and McBurnie latched onto Ki’s pass before turning neatly and firing an angled shot over before the break – but in truth, United were rarely out of second gear as they led at half time.

And sure enough, after a quiet opening to the second period, it was Lingard again who sealed matters 14 minutes into the second half.

Youngster Axel Tuanzebe drove forward and fed Darmian wide on the right, whose pinpoint cross was headed into the top corner by the unmarked midfielder.

And moments later Lingard threatened a hat trick, latching onto Blind's pass but drilling a low left foot shot across the face of goal.

Clement's reaction was to bring on Leroy Fer for Mesa, but Mourinho perhaps highlighted the difference in squad depth between the sides when he sent on Lukaku and Matic for Rashford and Ander Herrera respectively.

But with 20 minutes left, it was Tuanzebe who should have added a third, diverting Smalling's header over the bar from six yards out.

Clement made his final roll of the dice when he threw on Tammy Abraham for McBurnie, and the substitute duly had Swansea's first meaningful second half effort after 74 minutes, curling a 20 yard shot that a diving Sergio Romero did well to tip one handed over the bar.

Jordan Ayew also struck a free kick straight at the Argentine keeper, who then denied Fer from point blank range in injury time - but in truth, the Red Devils were comfortable as they played out the closing stages to book their spot in the last eight.

Swansea City: Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Angel Rangel, Mike van der Hoorn, Alfie Mawson, Martin Olsson (Kyle Naughton 38), Ki Sung Yeung, Roque Mesa (Leroy Fer 67), Sam Clucas, Wayne Routledge, Jodan Ayew, Oliver McBurnie (Tammy Abraham 72).

Subs not used: Erwin Mulder, Federico Fernandez, Jay Fulton, Luciano Narsingh.

Manchester United: Sergio Romero, Matteo Darmian, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Danny Blind, Axel Tuanzebe, Ander Herrera (Nemanja Matic 66), Jesse Lingard, Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial (Luke Shaw 86), Marcus Rashford (Romelu Lukaku 66).

Subs not used: Joel Pereira, Phil Jones, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku.

Referee: Robert Madley

Assistants: Steve Bennett and Eddie Smart.

Fourth official: Roger East.

Attendance: 20,083.