Jose Mourinho’s men now have one foot in the League Cup final thanks to a second half goal from the the midfield pairing
Manchester United beat Hull City 2-0 to take a slender advantage into the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final but Wayne Rooney’s wait to become his club’s outright all-time top
scorer goes on.
United probed without reward in the first half, as they were thwarted by a diligent and well-organised Hull, playing for the second time under Jose Mourinho’s compatriot Marco Silva.
Juan Mata went closest during the opening period for the hosts and, as he did in the fourth round against Manchester City, the Spain playmaker brought Old Trafford to its feet with the opening goal after half-time.
Rooney pulled level with Bobby Charlton on 249 United goals during Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup triumph over Reading and fired agonisingly wide five minutes before Mata’s 56th-minute breakthrough.
The England captain was taken off shortly afterwards, and he watched substitute Marouane Fellaini add a late second in the knowledge his next tilt at the record should arrive when United host bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
Playing behind an injury ravaged Hull side, visiting goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic plunged to his right to make a superb save after Mata swept left-footed towards the bottom corner in the second minute.
Andrew Robertson got there first as Marcus Rashford dragged a shot across the Hull box and Rooney lurked, sniffing the landmark.
Hull were forced into an early change as Markus Henriksen suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder following a challenge with Paul Pogba to further compound their fitness woes.
Before replacement Abel Hernandez was ready to take to the field United should have taken a 19th-minute lead – Henrikh Mkhitaryan sidefooting wide from 10 yards, having been picked out by Juan Mata.
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