Wayne Rooney registered his 249th goal for Manchester United inside 10 minutes to match the 44-year-old record of Sir Bobby Charlton, who was there to witness the moment. Anthony Martial added a crisp second as the hosts bossed the first half with ease. Marcus Rashford added the third before doubling his tally after a horrible error by Reading keeper Ali Al-Habsi which added gloss to the scoreline as Jose Mourinho’s men ran out 4-0 victorious at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The occasion marked an unhappy Old Trafford return for Reading boss and former United defender Jaap Stam, whose side may be flying really high in third place in the Championship but were completely outclassed from the first whistle.
For United, this was their eighth win in a row in all competitions and another confidence-booster for the Red Devils, before their Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg encounter against Hull City.
With just seven minutes on the clock Juan Mata clipped in a cross for Rooney to turn the ball into the Reading net with his knee and equal Bobby Charlton’s record.
It was a major landmark for the club captain, who should be certain to surpass the record if he stays at Manchester United and plays regularly for them, under the Portuguese manager.
Further, it was Anthony Martial, who then curled in a low shot past Al-Habsi, who should have maybe done better to keep the Frenchman’s effort out as he strode into the Reading penalty area after latching onto Rooney’s pass.
With 15 minutes remaining on the clock it was Marcus Rashford who doubled United’s lead and scored past Al-Habsi as he slotted in a long ball that was missed by Reading defender Liam Moore. Michael Carrick claimed the assist.
Rashford then grabbed his second and United’s fourth as Al-Habsi’s evening turned from bad to worse as he fluffed his chance to clear a back pass allowing Rashford to blast the ball into the net from just a yard out to seal his teams qualification to the next round.
Bastian Schweinsteiger also made a substitute appearance to a rousing reception to complete a wonderful day for the Old Trafford faithful, who had seen some of the best football played by their side, this season.
A perfect day for the Premier League giants to showcase a mixture of both skill and class and go through to the next round of the competition with ease.
