The two Manchester giants were then pitted against each other in a fourth-round draw which also saw Liverpool drawn against Tottenham and Chelsea handed a short trip to West Ham’s London Stadium.
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It was hard, as I was expecting, but were in control for the first 35 minutes and the last 35 minutes.
“They tried to cause us problems, which they did at times, so it was a hard match but overall it was a positive performance”.
Mourinho, who felt that Northampton’s Jak McCourt should have been sent off for a rash challenge on Memphis Depay, did not attend his post-match press conference.
On the contrary, Mourinho’s new-look United have experienced a bit of a dip in form that’s seen them lose three matches over the course of just eight days in all competitions; most recently, their 3-1 defeat at Watford.
Vincent Kompany started for City in his first game of the season after a thigh injury, but left the field seconds after Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled a goal back for Swansea in injury time.
He did at least have a hand in breaking the deadlock, as his free-kick from inside the area hit the wall and broke perfectly for Carrick to pass the ball beyond Smith’s desperate dive.
Northampton had gone into the break level after Alex Revell netted from the spot, cancelling out a sumptuous strike from Carrick, who co-commentator Danny Higginbotham described as “outstanding, on his first appearance since the Community Shield”. “The game should be easier – we should have been playing against 10 men very early in the second half”, he reflected.
In the 68 minute Ander Herrera gave United the lead for the second time after a clinical finish after some good build-play from the Premiership side, 2-1.
After successive Premier League defeats, Manchester United will hope to re-energise their faltering campaign and make up ground on the early pacesetters with victory at home to champions Leicester City on Saturday.
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Striker Sergio Aguero will be available after completing a three-match suspension, although City scored six goals without him in the two league matches he missed against United and Bournemouth.
