Wellbeck 6,

Manchester United’s Carling Cup side comfortably disposed of Championship strugglers Barnsley to reach the quarter-finals of this year’s competition.

Goals from Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen won the game for a United side entirely changed from the one outplayed at Anfield in the Premier League.

Barnsley manager Mark Robins has gone down in football folklore for scoring an FA Cup goal for United in 1990 which kept the then-struggling Alex Ferguson in his job.

But Ferguson’s young team were in no mood to show their gratitude and were largely untroubled until the experienced Gary Neville was sent-off for a stupid shin-high challenge on Barnsley’s Adam Hammill with 28 minutes remaining.

Barnsley fashioned a number of half-chances in the final quarter, and seventeen goal attempts in the game, but couldn’t make the breakthrough to set up an intriguing finish.

Robins has overseen a recovery in Barnsley’s fortunes since taking over the Oakwell hot seat seven weeks ago.

But the players who have instigated the revival were cup-tied last night. And the remainder were outplayed.

United started at breakneck speed and were ahead on six minutes when an unmarked Danny Welbeck headed home Oliveira Anderson’s corner.

Barnsley keeper Luke Steele saved well from Welbeck and French debutant Gabriel Obertan as United threatened to seal the game early..

The hosts stemmed the tide until half-time. Daniel Bogdanovic’s 23^rd minute header brushed a post and Stephen Foster headed over from close-range moments later.

Michael Owen made things more comfortable for the visitors on the hour when he nutmegged Darren Moore and passed the ball into the net from 15 yards – Owen at his best.

Three minutes later, though, United were reduced to ten men when Neville’s un-necessarily robust challenge saw him deservedly dismissed.

And United’s Ben Foster was the busier keeper in the closing stages, producing a fine save to deny substitute Jacob Butterfield on 78 minutes.