Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich: Wayne Rooney and teenagers Andreas Pereira and Anthony Martial see Red Devils through

• Wayne Rooney opened the scoring with his first goal at Old Trafford this season 
• Teenager Andreas Pereira added a second goal for Manchester United as he made a rare start
• French teen Anthony Martial continued his good start to his Manchester United career with a goal in stoppage time 
• CLICK HERE for all of the Capital One Cup results 

By Joe Bernstein for the Daily Mail

Published: 15:52 EST, 23 September 2015 | Updated: 04:22 EST, 24 September 2015

Wayne Rooney scored goal number 235 for Manchester United and Andreas Pereira his first as Louis van Gaal underlined why he is convinced both the present and future at Old Trafford are in safe hands.

A year on from the embarrassment of losing 4-0 at MK Dons in which Pereira played 45 minutes, this was a far happier Capital One Cup story for the Dutchman

He will have been pleased that his captain justified being restored to a central striker's role with a classy first-half finish. 

Wayne Rooney looks to the sky and celebrates as he opens the scoring against Ipswich at Old Trafford

Rooney celebrates scoring the first goal of the season at Old Trafford as he gives United the lead

Rooney opens the scoring for Manchester United with a good finish past Ipswich keeper Bartosz Bialkowski

And even more so that United's second-half goals were scored by a pair of teenagers, Pereira with an outstanding free-kick on his first start and £36million substitute Anthony Martial in injury-time for his fourth in four games.

'I asked Juan (Mata) for the ball and he gave it to me. He trusted me,' smiled Pereira whose previous first-team experience had been limited to two appearances as a substitute.

'It is a relief for me that all the work I have put in has paid off. It was like a dream come true to score my first goal, a free-kick at the Stretford End as well.

'Last year at MK Dons was not so good, we went out. But this is very special.'

There should be a clear health warning alongside the feel-good atmosphere inside The Theatre of Dreams.

Championship side Ipswich fielded 11 changes from their last league game with manager Mick McCarthy admitting: 'I could have put out any team and probably still be beaten.'

Van Gaal took no chances with his line-up. Big-hitters David de Gea, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Rooney were included with Pereira his only concession to youth.

The 19-year-old midfield player, born in Belgium but a Brazil youth international through family ties, fully justified his selection. His bright orange boots were constantly on the move and he fired in a series of shots at goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

Predictably, United hogged the possession. Pereira had two efforts on goal and United appealed loudly for a penalty when the ball struck Giles Coke's arm, but not deliberately according to referee Simon Hooper. 

Marouane Fellaini makes a defensive header as Ipswich go on the attack at Old Trafford 

Ipswich Town's David McGoldrick (right) battles for the ball with Manchester United's Daley Blind

Yet, there was little early fluidity from van Gaal's side. With Ashley Young shifted to left-back to cope with an injury crisis, Fellaini was asked to start as some kind of left winger where he stood out like a sore thumb, and not just because of his hair.

An encouraged Ipswich even had the temerity to muster an attack with Chris Smalling forced to block Jay Tabb's shot.

After 23 minutes, Rooney decided enough was enough. Daley Blind pinged a long ball from deep, the 29-year-old England captain finished like a proper centre-forward, bringing the ball under instant control and outmuscling Malarczyk as the Pole slid into tackle and fell over.

Once clear, the outcome was a formality and Rooney slid a low finish under Bartosz Bialkowski to score his sixth goal of the season for club and country. 

Andreas Pereira doubled Manchester United's lead with a second half strike that put the tie beyond doubt 

Pereira scores the second goal for Manchester Untied with an excellent free kick after Juan Mata had been fouled

Pereira slides on his knees to celebrate his goal in front of the Manchester United fans  

Rooney and Fellaini celebrate with Pereira after the youngster made it 2-0 against Ipswich

Naturally, the breakthrough gave United confidence and Fellaini's sharp lay-off to Mata saw the Spaniard bring a fine save out of Bialkowski.

Pereira buzzed around to good effect in his orange boots, determined to impress on his rare opportunity.

Ipswich's only half-chance before the interval came from the left boot of Tommy Oar whose shot was close enough for de Gea to scamper across it goal to see it go wide.

Things were so comfortable for United that Fellaini tried to inject a bit of drama with a loose pass just outside his penalty area after 48 minutes. 

Rival managers Mick McCarthy and Louis van Gaal watch on as Manchester Untied took the lead against Ipswich 

Pereira heads the ball during the League Cup clash with Ipswich as they struggled to break down the Championship side

Manchester United's Juan Mata (right)  is challenged for the ball by Ipswich's Kevin Bru

Ipswich pulses quickened but when Coke's cross went into United's box, it shaved the top of David McGoldrick's head. More dangerous moments later was McGoldrick's arced cross which just eluded last season's leading scorer Daryl Murphy on the stretch.

McCarthy, an ever-present figure in his technical area in contrast to van Gaal, applauded his side's valiant afforts but Bialkowski still had to be alert at the other end to keep out a hand-stinger from Valencia. 

United's second goal after an hour came from the most deserving individual cause. Mata was brought down by Kevin Bru on the edge of the box and stood over the ball as a candidate to take the free-kick. 

Anthony Martial continued his excellent start to his career at Manchester United with a goal in stoppage time

Martial celebrates scoring his fourth goal since joining Manchester United at the end of the transfer window 

Instead, he gave the responsibility to young Pereira and he flighted a beautiful right-footed finish over the wall and into Bialkowski's left-hand corner while the keeper stood rooted to the spot.

'He shot the free-kick in a fantastic way but we know he can do that,' said van Gaal, clearly not wanting to go overboard.

Pereira, whose previous first-team experience had been limited to 58 minutes, was kept on until the end and earned the ultimate compliment by being dumped on his backside by Ipswich defender Jonathan Parr for the game's first only booking.

Bru and the rest of the Ipswich players applaud the travelling fans at the end of the match after they were knocked out

The last half-hour was party time absent from pressure. United fans gave Phil Jones a great response when he came off the bench for his first appearance of the season following a blood clot on his leg. Fellow substitute Martial then scored with customary class from Memphis Depay's chestdown.

Jose Mourinho's first trophy in England was the League Cup and with a home draw against Middlesbrough next, van Gaal could yet follow suit.

Comments (549)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

Enter your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Submit Comment Clear

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now