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• Ten Hag level-headed despite Man Utd's 'perfect night' in EFL Cup

  Erik ten Hag was not getting carried away after another positive Manchester United result on a "perfect night" in the EFL Cup.

  United were reeling after a 3-0 humbling at home to rivals Liverpool prior to the international break, but they bounced back by beating Southampton by the same scoreline on Saturday.

  And Ten Hag's side then swept aside Barnsley on Tuesday for the biggest win of his United tenure, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen each scoring twice in a 7-0 triumph.

  It appears United's fortunes have changed, but their manager will not rush to make judgement.

  "I was not devastated after Liverpool; I'm not now celebrating," Ten Hag told the media afterwards.

  "We are on a journey, and we will see where we are in May, because then we have to be good and we have to be at our best. In the meantime, we have to progress the team."

  Of the Barnsley match, though, he said: "For me and for the team, it's the perfect night.

  "We did everything we planned to do; we win, next round, scored lots of great goals, entertained the fans, we worked on our game model. So, yeah, we are happy."

  Rashford's goals were an obvious highlight, adding to his first of the campaign against Southampton as the United forward suddenly looks to have regained his confidence.

  "Confidence is a big part of it," Ten Hag added. "It's not everything – there are also other parts – but confidence is a big part.

  "Rashford is a big guy, he's scored so many goals. In the list of United goalscorers, he's at the top of it. So, he's a big guy, but you're as good as your last game, and every time you have to prove it.

  "I have seen the biggest guys, the biggest football players when they are not performing, when the strikers are not scoring, and they drop in confidence. It doesn't matter who."

• Manchester United 7-0 Barnsley: Rampant Rashford nets twice in EFL Cup rout

  Marcus Rashford was on target again with a double as Manchester United demolished third-tier Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup third round.

  Rashford had scored his first goal since mid-March in Saturday's Premier League victory at Southampton, after which Erik ten Hag predicted more would follow.

  And the United manager was quickly proven right as Rashford grabbed the first and fifth goals on Tuesday, helping to fire the Red Devils into the last 16 of the EFL Cup.

  Rashford, who netted in United's final victory over Newcastle United in this competition two seasons ago, appeared full of confidence after 16 minutes as he brought down Alejandro Garnacho's crossfield pass, skipped past Marc Roberts and blasted into the top corner.

  The exiled England international was not alone among United's under-fire forwards in enjoying a productive game in front of goal either, with Antony getting his first of the season by winning and converting a penalty.

  It was three on the stroke of half-time as Garnacho prodded in after Rashford was tackled in the area, and the excellent Argentina winger scored again shortly after the restart.

  Rashford raced onto another Garnacho pass and finished coolly just before the hour mark, before Christian Eriksen added a late brace of his own.

  Data Debrief: He shoots, he scores

  It was hard to foresee Rashford's three-goal week prior to the Southampton match – primarily because the United number 10 was not shooting, let alone scoring.

  Rashford appeared in United's first three Premier League matches of the season without even attempting a shot, but Barnsley's goal was subjected to target practice on Tuesday as his confidence returned.

  Those two Rashford goals came from six attempts, including five from inside the box as he thrived in a central striking role after so often toiling on the left wing.

• Ronnie O’Sullivan dismisses talk of greatness ahead of World Championship opener

  Ronnie O’Sullivan shrugged off suggestions of greatness on the eve of his bid to eclipse Stephen Hendry and become the first player to win eight world snooker titles in the modern era.

  O’Sullivan is already routinely described as the best player to pick up a cue after a record-breaking career that includes eight Masters and eight UK titles within a total of 41 ranking tournament wins.

  But the 48-year-old, who starts his first round match against Welsh qualifier Jackson Page on Wednesday, has never been one to pore over the record books, and questions whether such plaudits are worth having at all.

  “I don’t regard myself as the greatest of all time,” said O’Sullivan. “Statistically I suppose I am, but I’m just happy to be playing.

  “I suppose as a kid I would have been desperate to be up with those guys but when you get there it’s a bit of an anti-climax – it’s not as great as you thought it would be.”

  O’Sullivan, who won his first world title in 2001, currently sits on seven alongside Hendry, with Davis and Ray Reardon one behind on six wins each.

  Yet while the title-winning eras of those fellow greats spanned less than a decade, O’Sullivan’s longevity, which shows all the signs of pushing on beyond a quarter of a century, makes the reign of the ‘Rocket’ indisputably unique.

  “I’ve had a different career to them,” added O’Sullivan. “They just did it over a 10-year period while I’ve sort of gone off track for five or six years, then got myself back together, then disappeared for another three years, then got myself back together again.

  “I was a bit all over the shop really, stuff going on off the table that can affect how you perform. Hendry and Davis had everything fitted around them to focus on snooker, but that’s how it worked out for me, so I’ve had to go on longer.”

  “I love playing, I enjoy it. I get to travel where I want, take time off when I want, be my own boss. It’s those little things, and you want to win because competitiveness has always been in me.

  Amid more top-level retirement talk, with Mark Selby the latest to question his future in the sport after his first round defeat to Joe O’Connor, O’Sullivan appears to be heading back to the Crucible intent on many more attempts to increase his legacy.

  He has linked up with a new coach and is clearly putting the effort in ahead of his opener against 22-year-old Page, who beat Barry Hawkins on his Crucible debut two years ago before suffering a heavy defeat to Mark Williams in round two.

  O’Sullivan added: “I love playing, I enjoy it. I get to travel where I want, take time off when I want, be my own boss. It’s those little things, and you want to win because competitiveness has always been in me.

  “I’m pretty cool with what I’ve done and I’d like to keep winning more. Whether that makes me the greatest or not, I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter.”