Deadline-day signing Sofyan Amrabat says he only ever wanted to join Manchester United and believes Erik ten Hag’s side can “do something big” this season.

The 27-year-old’s qualities came to the fore during the 2022 World Cup, where his outstanding midfield displays helped Morocco on their historic run to the semi-finals.

Amrabat was linked with moves aplenty after Qatar and numerous clubs expressed their interest in a player that only wanted to leave Fiorentina this summer for one destination.

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The midfielder played under Ten Hag at Utrecht at the start of his career and was determined to link back up with him at United as he wrapped up a long-discussed deal at the start of September.

Asked if it was a difficult process waiting to get the move, Amrabat said: “Yes, of course.

“After the last game with the club, it was the Conference League final with West Ham and from that moment, the window started for me.

“A lot of clubs, a lot of speaking, talking, but for me it was clear I wanted Manchester United.

“It was long, long months for me, difficult months for me, but at the end it’s nice on the last day that I signed here and that I’m here is now the most important (thing).”

United paid 10million euros (£8.6m) to sign Amrabat on loan for the season, with the deal including the option to trigger a permanent move.

The Serie A will receive a 20m euros (£17.1m) fee and up to 5m euros (£4.3m) in potential add-ons if that option is taken by Ten Hag’s men.

“I don’t think about that,” Amrabat said of his future beyond this season. “For me, today, I am a Manchester United player.

“The only thing I can do is every day to give everything that I have, to do my best, to try to help the team.

“I hope we have a fantastic season, I hope we can win something and then later we will see what will happen.

“Of course, I would love to stay here, but that’s not important for me. I don’t look too far into the future.”

Amrabat spoke as he basked in the afterglow of an impressive first appearance at Old Trafford, where he helped United beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the Carabao Cup third round.

“It was fantastic,” he said with a smile. “It was a dream of mine. Since I was a child I worked for this every day and to be here is a dream, it’s fantastic.”

After a small injury delayed his debut, Amrabat finally made his bow off the bench in Saturday’s much-needed win at Burnley before making his first start against Palace three days later.

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Those back-to-back victories have lifted the mood around Old Trafford after what had been a challenging start to the season on and off the field for absentee-hit United.

Pressure and scrutiny had grown having lost four of their opening six matches of a season for the first time since 1986, but Amrabat is confident they can kick on and enjoy a successful season.

“I have a lot of confidence because I see that we have so much quality,” he said.

“I think it was a bit unlucky with the injuries we had. Of course for every team it’s difficult if you have a lot of injuries.

“But I see a lot of quality, we have a fantastic coach, we have fantastic fans, so I believe that we can do something big.

“But at the end you have to show it on the pitch, not with talking, not with speaking, you have to work for it and hopefully we can reach something very nice.”

United won the Carabao Cup in their first season under Ten Hag, who described Amrabat as a “warrior” on Tuesday as he started as makeshift left-back due to a string of absentees.

“First of all, when I make a step on the pitch, for me it’s normal that you give everything, that you fight for every metre and give your all for the team,” the Morocco international added.

“Of course you can make technical mistakes, everyone can have a bad game, but I think – at the end – most importantly, you fight for the badge, for the club and that’s the minimum you can do.

“I think, for me, that’s normal and that’s what I try always.

“The manager knows me very well, a long time – maybe seven years ago that we worked together, so it’s a long time.

“But he knows me, I know him, I know what he wants and I try to do that at the best (level).”

Vincent Kompany is excited about Wilson Odobert’s potential after watching the teenager score on his full debut for Burnley in a 4-0 Carabao Cup win over League Two Salford.

The 18-year-old had already tested home goalkeeper Alex Cairns on a couple of occasions before crowning a comfortable win for Burnley with his 81st-minute strike, collecting a cross from the impressive Anass Zaroury and cutting back inside before firing home.

It was only Odobert’s second appearance in a Burnley shirt following his summer move from Troyes and while Kompany will not rush the young Frenchman, the manager wants him to be making a regular contribution soon as the Clarets look to turn around their Premier League form.

“We talk about the team settling and stuff and as I’ve told you, some of the guys who will be the heroes for us this season, you don’t see them but I see them in training and we have to be prepared for them to come into the team,” Kompany said.

“Guys like Wilson are these type of guys. You can see the talent. It’s a matter of time. Is it tomorrow? Is it in a week or a month’s time? We don’t know. We’ll go with them.

“Just like Luca Koleosho, we’ve some exciting players and hopefully they’ll be able to show it very soon for us. We’ll need it.”

Kompany made 11 changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Manchester United on Saturday as he continues to marshal a 34-strong squad and figure out his best combinations.

But even with so many changes, it still felt like a strong selection. Vitinho returned from injury, Odobert made his first start and Jack Cork got only his second run out of the campaign, starting in defence, but most of those involved have already featured regularly this term.

After bringing in 13 new faces this summer, Burnley still need time to gel, as has been reflected by their winless start to the Premier League season. A cup win over a side struggling near the bottom of League Two is only a small step forward, but progress all the same.

“We’ve got a lot of players still gelling together and I don’t think players would have played together as a team,” Kompany said. “Seeing a collective performance is more important than just seeing the individuals for me.”

He added of that gelling process: “It’s not something that’s abnormal. We knew it was part of something that was going to happen and we had it last year. In that sense, it’s not different.

“The level of opposition of course is different but you work hard on the training ground and after every game to make sure the team gets to the level it needs to be at as quickly as possible. You also enjoy that side of it. That’s why we’re coaches…

“It’s still early days for a lot of these guys but in the end, if the collective is robust then you can make adaptations. We prioritised game time – Corky played at centre back as if he had played there for the last 10 years.

“But when you look after the ball and when you have strikers and wingers who can be dangerous, it always gives you a chance to spread the load across the team.”

Erik ten Hag says Alejandro Garnacho was “not good enough” in his previous starts this season after the Manchester United teenager scored in the Carabao Cup victory against Crystal Palace.

Having secured a much-needed Premier League victory at Burnley on Saturday evening, the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-0 victors against Roy Hodgson’s south Londoners on Tuesday night.

Casemiro scored and then crossed for Anthony Martial’s goal on a night started by Garnacho impressively putting the Carabao Cup holders ahead from Diogo Dalot’s cutback.

The 19-year-old began United’s first two matches of the season, but this was the first time he was named in the starting line-up since the defeat to Tottenham five weeks ago.

“You have seen at the start of the season we played him and then his contribution was not good enough,” manager Ten Hag said of the Argentina international.

“But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.

“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.

“As well, it’s not only off the ball. But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.

“But I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement.

“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level but he has to show it every day.”

United made seven alterations, as did Palace, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League reunion at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag will hope Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay can return from what the United boss called illness, so too left-back Sergio Reguilon.

The on-loan Tottenham full-back’s absence meant Sofyan Amrabat filled in there on his first start for the club, before stepping into midfield at half-time.

“Sofyan is a player, and that was one of the reasons we signed him, where the team needs him, he will play and he can play in more positions,” Ten Hag said.

“Every player has his best position but he gives a certain dynamic in the game. We have seen today but also for him and many players, we just started.

“That process was a little bit interrupted by the many injuries we have because when you can play a long time with the same team then you get routines, the players learn each other and it’s more automatic.

“You see Mason (Mount), Amrabat, you see also others, they can contribute to our game and they will do.”

As for Palace, Roy Hodgson had no arguments with the result as his side made a meek Carabao Cup exit in the third round.

“I thought we were well beaten, basically,” said the Eagles boss, who saw Dean Henderson go off injured on his debut at former club United.

“I thought they attacked better than we did, defended the few attacks we were able to mount quite comfortably.

“As a result, unfortunately, you tend when that happens to only be looking at one possible result and that was the result they came up with.”

Gary O’Neil painted a bleak picture of the situation at Wolves and admitted “no magic wand” will fix their problems after a 3-2 loss at Ipswich in the Carabao Cup third round.

Wolves slumped to a fifth defeat in eight matches under the former Bournemouth manager, who only took over on August 9 following the departure of Julen Lopetegui by mutual consent.

O’Neil made 10 changes for the Portman Road clash and despite taking a 2-0 lead via goals by Hwang Hee-chan and Toti, the Premier League outfit were on the end of an upset after Championship high-flyers Ipswich responded through Omari Hutchinson, Freddie Ladapo and Jack Taylor.

Asked for a message to disgruntled Wolves supporters, O’Neil insisted: “To stick with the group.

“We are six weeks into a process and there is no magic wand. I can guarantee you when I arrived the place was not running perfectly and ready to go into a Premier League season.

“There are a lot of things that need fixing and of course I am willing to take responsibility, but the facts are you need some time to put things in place. That does not look like a team that I have worked with for very long at this moment, which it isn’t.

“Do I accept that we need to get results? Of course. Do I want the fans to enjoy every game we play and come away and support the players? Of course and we will work tirelessly to make sure we get it there and we will get it there.

“But there is no transfer window. The transfer window is closed and we are together as we are and need to get the maximum out of the group.

“We’ve named a strong team with 11 players that should be capable of winning here and we don’t, so it is my responsibility to make sure we get some more out of them.”

Life does not get any easier for Wolves with Manchester City set to visit on Saturday and it will be a return to Molineux for Matheus Nunes, who left in a £53million deal last month.

O’Neil pointed out the club’s net spend this summer when asked to reflect on the issues at the Midlands outfit.

“I think when I arrived the culture of the club needed a shift and some of it needs to move towards more togetherness,” O’Neil admitted.

“Yeah, there is a big list of things that need fixing. Of course I understand it is my responsibility and people will say, ‘they did fine last year,’ but the truth is they got 41 points and we made an £80million profit on players in the summer.

“So, we’re £80million short of where we were and last year we got 41 points.

“We need to move it from that in a more difficult situation now than the club was then player-wise, so that’s the facts of the job.

“I understood that when I took the job, I understand it now and every weekend is not going to be rosy. We’re going to suffer some tough weekends and we’ll need to crack on and go again.”

While Wolves were left to reflect on a sorry defeat, Ipswich’s highly-rated manager Kieran McKenna toasted his own first win against top-flight opposition.

After Hwang and Toti netted within 15 minutes, the Championship’s second-placed club continued their terrific form with three unanswered goals.

Chelsea loanee Hutchinson started the comeback with a right-footed effort from eight-yards before Ladapo fired home inside the area before half-time.

Taylor completed the turnaround with a 25-yard thunderbolt and the 58th-minute strike sent Ipswich into the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 2010.

“We need to enjoy tonight because it is the first time we’ve had a Premier League team here in quite a few years,” McKenna acknowledged.

“It is 11 years since we beat a Premier League team so a good night for progress and the regrowth of this football club again, but it is a cup game.

“The result tonight does not win us anything but it is really significant as a marker point for the development of the squad, so we’ll take it as that and enjoy it for a sign of progress.”

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson called his players ‘bottlers’ after they lost a Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out 3-1 at League Two Mansfield.

Posh came from behind to lead but the game ended 2-2 when Lucas Akins netted a stoppage-time penalty.

Former Peterborough goalkeeper Christy Pym then saved two spot-kicks before Davis Keillor-Dunn netted the winner as the Nottinghamshire team ensured they remain the only EFL side unbeaten this season, making the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 1975.

Ferguson said: “I don’t like criticising my players in public and I very rarely do as a manager. But I am not letting them get away with that one. They absolutely bottled it.

“For the first 65-70 minutes, the penalty aside, I thought we were really, really good and they couldn’t get near us.

“But all of a sudden Mansfield started going back to front a bit more and we just bottled it, pure and simple. I can’t dress this one up.

“It is terrible result, there is no other way of putting it, and it is a massive opportunity missed.

“It was a massive chance to get in the last 16 and I hope Mansfield now get Manchester United away or something like that so our players can see it tomorrow night.”

Will Swan put the Stags ahead from the penalty spot in the fifth minute but the visitors piled on the pressure and levelled when Jonson Clarke-Harris’ 25-yard free-kick went through the wall and past Pym on the half hour.

Clarke-Harris swept home a second in the 47th minute but Mansfield raised their game and began to dominate and were rewarded with Akins’ spot-kick success three minutes into added time, before emulating their shoot-out win at Sheffield Wednesday in the previous round.

Delighted Stags boss Nigel Clough said: “We are into the next round for the first time in nearly 50 years, which is a hell of an achievement, but so is going 12 games unbeaten.

“For quite long spells we were second best as they were so good. There wasn’t too much we were doing wrong. They were just very competent.

“The respect they showed us by naming a full side said everything. They are a top side in League One and you can see the big difference, the pace and the speed they move the ball.

“We just hung on in there, trying not to concede a third goal and at 2-1 anything can happen in the last 20 minutes.

“I thought the equaliser was coming after Lucas Akins’ goal that was offside. It was no more than we deserved for hanging on in there.

“We have been good taking penalties in training and at Sheffield Wednesday so we saw no reason why we couldn’t win the shoot-out.”

Michael Carrick feels Middlesbrough are starting to finally find their form as they progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win at Bradford.

Boro, who only won for the first time in the Championship this season at the weekend, made seven changes from that victory over Southampton but started brightly and went in front through Emmanuel Latte-Lath.

Morgan Rogers’ close-range finish in the second half sealed the visitors’ spot in the next round and Carrick reckons his side are beginning to click.

He said: “The players’ approach to the game, their attitude to the game was right from the very start.

“I was really pleased, thought everyone looked really comfortable, did their jobs and looked dangerous.

“It was a good game for us, the atmosphere was good and the game certainly means a lot for the supporters. It is starting to come, I can see that clicking a bit.

“We controlled a lot of the game, dominated a lot of it, we kept them out of the box for the majority and thought we looked like a really good team.”

Carrick underlined the importance of building some momentum after making it back-to-back victories.

He added: “We backed it up, the habit of winning games and getting on a run is important for us.

“I think the level of performance was important for us, we felt that way on Saturday, so it was building on that a little bit but again.

“It’s not come as a surprise. We could see it coming, what the boys were doing day in and day out and felt we weren’t quite getting what we deserved, so tonight was a good sign for us moving forward.”

Bradford boss Mark Hughes was content to switch his full focus to the league as they focus on getting promotion from League Two.

He said: “Not the result we were looking for, but the cup is not a priority for us this year.

“We have done better than we have in recent years and we’ll take that, but the priority for us is the league and getting out of it.

“The second goal did not allow us the opportunity to win the game, so at that point it was about looking after players who are important for us and our league form.

“We’ve been able to protect a few players that are vitally important for us so we move on to the league.”

Vincent Kompany admitted his Burnley side had done nothing out of the ordinary in sweeping aside Sky Bet League Two Salford to reach the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

The Clarets put their Premier League struggles to one side in a 4-0 victory at the Peninsula Stadium with all four scorers – Sander Berge, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Dara O’Shea and Wilson Odobert – getting their first goals for the club.

Kompany made 11 changes from the side that started Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United but saw Burnley put the result to bed early with the first three goals coming inside the opening half an hour.

“We can put this result in context,” Kompany said. “We know we’re the Premier League team, we’re supposed to win, we’re supposed to put in a performance but it’s easier said than done, especially when you have 11 changes.

“We showed good discipline, a professional performance. We got the goals, we got the clean sheet. We put it behind us now and focus on the Premier League and the next round…

“Eleven changes, some new players, some positional changes as well. You can always go back through it and say this and that could have been better but in the end we were disciplined, we created as many chances as we needed to win the game and we didn’t concede chances.

“Midweek, away from home, I’ve been in the game long enough to know it can be a different game and we kept it how it was supposed to be.”

In a season when Burnley, still winless in the Premier League, had only found the net five times in their previous six games, the goals and the fresh names scoring them will be a source of confidence.

“Goals (have been hard to come by), yes, but I think we’ve had chances,” Kompany said of his side’s season. “For a newly-promoted team you’re not going to go into the Premier League and all of a sudden start scoring two or three a game.

“We know that but we’re just delighted for the forwards to have scored some goals and for a lot of new players as well to be on the scoresheet. That’s something that’s going to matter this season.”

While the goalscorers were new the source was familiar, with Anass Zaroury having a hand in all four.

Berge headed in the Moroccan’s 12th-minute corner before Zaroury teed up Bruun Larsen’s lob. The winger then tried to beat Alex Cairns with a quick free-kick from a tight angle and when the goalkeeper could not hold it, O’Shea bundled home.

Nine minutes from time, Zaroury crossed for Odobert who cut back inside before finding the net.

It all added up to a sixth straight defeat for Salford as under-pressure Neil Wood deals with a lengthy injury list.

“Playing against a Premier League team, three levels above us, it’s always going to be difficult,” Wood said. “They’re very technical, very good players and tactically it’s a very good system that’s difficult to defend against.

“It’s disappointing to concede off two set pieces for us…All credit to them, they’re a very good team.

“It was a really difficult night but not a night that we weren’t expecting.”

Port Vale boss Andy Crosby feels his side’s place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup is “reward for a lot of things”.

Vale reached the last 16 for the first time since 2006-07 with a 2-1 victory over Sky Bet League Two strugglers Sutton, with Funso Ojo coming off the bench to fire home a superb winner.

Swansea loanee Josh Thomas had earlier opened the scoring before his effort was cancelled out by Sutton substitute Hisham Kasimu.

Crosby said: “When you start in the first round of the Carabao Cup you want to go as far as you can.

“Every time you get through to the next round, you want to get through to the next one.

“That’s what we’ve done. We’re in the fourth round for the first time in a long time for the football club.

“It’s reward for a lot of things. It’s reward for Carol and Kevin (Shanahan) for investing the amount of money they do into the football club.

“It’s brilliant for our supporters, who haven’t seen the club in the fourth round for a long time. They keep turning up and I thank them a lot for the support.

“I think we have to preach to them what we’re trying to do. It might be different from what they’ve seen before. There may be some frustration at times with what we’re trying to do, but we have to play a way that suits our team.

“That’s going to take time, but when we get to utopia and we’re playing incredible football with and without the ball. We’re making progress.”

Sutton boss Matt Gray was left with mixed emotions after his spirited side were sucker-punched by the late winner.

He said: “There were so many things I was happy with, apart from the result sadly.

“It’s a result I don’t think we deserved.

“They couldn’t break us down when we were in our shape, so to concede a goal from a counter-attack from a corner is a hard one to take.

“It’s something we’ll be looking at, it’s really frustrating.

“It was a great response from their goal. We had some great chances. We had to bide our time and eventually got the goal.

“It felt a little bit similar to the first goal. We were pushing forward and got done on the break which was very disappointing.

“We’ve not had some good league results, we’re working tirelessly to get things right and we saw some positives on the pitch.

“We need to keep working on that, building on that and I’m sure the results will turn soon.

“You can see that from the fans’ reaction at the end. They’re completely with us.”

Luton boss Rob Edwards admitted his side deserved to be on the end of an upset as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 defeat at Exeter.

Demetri Mitchell scored the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute, poking in from close range from Yanic Wildschut’s cross, before he was sent off two minutes from time after collecting a second yellow card.

Toothless Luton, who made 10 changes from their Premier League draw with Wolves, rarely troubled League One Exeter, who reached round four for the first time since 1989 and claimed their first top-flight scalp since beating Leicester in the FA Cup back in 1981.

Edwards said: “It was a disappointing night for us clearly. Congratulations to Exeter, I have got to say that. With all of the possession we had tonight, we didn’t look like we were going to score.

“We need to be better, more aggressive, more clinical and have more desire to create chances and, when we do, be more ruthless.

“We can’t keep saying the same things at the moment. We have been sucker-punched out of a mistake on our part and we have not had the quality or desire to get the ball over the line and ultimately we got punished and don’t deserve to go through.

“I do want more. There wasn’t a lack of commitment or effort, I would never label that at our group, but I want to see more quality in that final third.

“As the game started opening up, we started to cause more problems for them, but they defended the box very well with high numbers and that is difficult to break down.

“We wanted to go deep into the competition, but we needed to make the changes we made.”

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell hailed a magnificent “team effort” from his side.

“I am really proud of the players, they were absolutely incredible tonight,” Caldwell said. “We had to come up with a game plan and we had one day to work on it and they performed it to the letter.

“In the beginning, I thought we understood it, but we weren’t quite aggressive enough and, as the game wore on, we got better, they got more frustrated and it was an amazing win.

“Full credit to the players for the effort, the desire to not concede, to fight for the team, to fight for each other – it was unbelievable.

“I said we were hoping for a special night under the lights at St James Park and I think we got it.

“Everyone was amazing tonight, the finishers that came on as well. It was a real team effort tonight and everyone deserves credit.

“This stadium is special and we want anyone to come here and we believe that, on our day, when we get it right, then we can be a real match for anyone.

“That’s the spirit and belief I want to get into these players and tonight will give them confidence.”

Mauricio Pochettino believes he is under no greater pressure from the owners at Chelsea than in either of his two previous Premier League appointments.

The Argentinian enjoyed successful spells with Southampton and Tottenham, guiding the latter to the Champions League final in 2019, but has seen his new side struggle for goals and wins since he was appointed in the summer despite a huge transfer outlay.

He famously enjoyed a close relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy prior to being sacked five months after taking the club to within a game of being crowned European champions.

At Southampton there was a similarly jovial working arrangement with executive chairman Nicola Cortese, who appointed Pochettino in order to try and stabilise Saints in the top flight, a task he achieved comfortably during his 18 months in charge.

Yet Chelsea has brought a different level of expectation with over £1billion spent on recruitment by co-owner Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium, an investment that is yet to yield results with the club mired in the bottom half of the table.

Pochettino said that far from making the task harder, the work that had gone on prior to his appointment at Stamford Bridge has made his job less complicated.

“It’s less hard than when we were in Southampton and Tottenham, trust me,” he said. “Believe me.

“The only thing we are missing is scoring goals, because the team is playing, if you see our first few months in Southampton and Tottenham, I think we (Chelsea) are playing much better.

“We are doing much better here, but we are missing the most important (thing) in football – to score. But it’s not harder than the previous experience.

“It was different (at Tottenham). The transformation was with us, in the way that we found the squad, with the club, we were working in six months, one year to change and design.

“Here, the plan was already made, and we arrived here and we tried to develop this project. When I arrived here, the plan had started to work. Now I am part of the plan. Of course I am responsible here also like in Tottenham, but I think it was a little bit different.”

Pochettino’s work at Southampton laid the foundation for his reputation in the Premier League, guiding the team to a 14th-place finish after replacing Nigel Adkins midway through their first season back in the top flight.

The decision of Cortese to dispense with Adkins, who had led the club up from League One, and replace him with a coach who was virtually unknown in England was controversial at the time.

However, the pair quickly built a relationship that underscored the manager’s first success in England.

“With Nicola we were really close,” said Pochettino. “He liked to invite me for coffee before a game in his office at St Mary’s.

“One day we were sitting on the sofa in his office and talking and talking, and my phone was like this (face down). We were talking about I don’t know what. Then somebody knocked the door and said, ‘we need to start the game in five minutes’.

“Nicola was like that. Daniel (Levy) sometimes arrived before the game to talk in the manager’s office. At the moment it’s not the case because in these five games at home, (the owners) came after.

“(Co-sporting directors) Paul (Winstanley)  and Lawrence (Stewart) always come to say hello before. It’s a similar relationship (to Southampton and Tottenham). No more pressure now than in other places.”

Mansfield won a penalty shoot-out for the second round in a row after a 2-2 draw with League One Peterborough United to make the Carabao Cup fourth round for the first time since 1975.

Former Posh goalkeeper Christy Pym was the hero with two penalty saves in the 3-1 shoot-out success against his old club as the League Two high-flyers maintained their record as the only EFL side unbeaten in all competitions.

Mansfield soaked up early pressure and Baily Cargill had to clear a Ricky-Jade Jones finish off the line in the third minute before the home side grabbed a fifth minute lead from the penalty spot.

An Archie Collins foul on Will Swan was spotted and the latter coolly tucked away the spot-kick down the centre of Nicholas Bilokapic’s goal.

Pym had to save well in the 18th minute, diving to his left to deny Ephron Mason-Clark.

However, the visitors were level on the half-hour as Jonson Clarke-Harris drilled a 25-yard free-kick through the Mansfield wall and past a helpless Pym.

A minute after Pym tipped over a Hector Kyprianou header to stop Posh turning the game on its head – but the visitors were ahead two minutes after the break.

Peter Kioso crossed hard and low from the right and although George Williams hooked clear from near the goal line, Clarke-Harris followed up clinically.

Kioso hit the bar with a header from a 51st-minute corner.

But Mansfield went up a gear and were rewarded in the third added minute as Lucas Akins levelled from the spot after Clarke-Harris had brought down substitute Calum Macdonald.

Pym made two great stops in the shoot-out before Davis Keillor-Dunn buried the crucial winner.

Casemiro scored one and provided another as Manchester United began their defence of the Carabao Cup with a straightforward victory against lifeless Crystal Palace.

A lot has happened in the seven months since securing the first trophy of the Erik ten Hag era – and the Red Devils’ first silverware in six years – against Newcastle at Wembley.

Casemiro opened the scoring under the arch and found the net again in Tuesday’s 3-0 third-round triumph against Palace as United look to put their poor start to the season behind them.

There were a combined 14 changes for an Old Trafford meeting that will be repeated in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, when Eagles boss Roy Hodgson will demand a vastly improved display.

United kept Palace at arm’s length in a one-sided first half that brought a pair of quickfire goals shortly after injury had ended Dean Henderson’s debut against his former club.

First good team play ended with Alejandro Garnacho turning in Diogo Dalot’s cutback, before Casemiro headed home his fourth goal of the campaign from the returning Mason Mount’s corner.

Anthony Martial rifled home from the Brazil international’s cross in the 55th minute as United rubber-stamped their place in Wednesday’s fourth-round draw by following up their much-needed win at Burnley.

The hosts were in control from the outset at an impressively full Old Trafford, where the best Palace could initially muster was a dangerous early cross cut out by Harry Maguire on his first club start of the season.

United patiently passed and probed in the Palace half, although they had not created a clear-cut chance by the time their former goalkeeper Henderson went off injured on his debut.

Sam Johnstone replaced his fellow United academy graduate in the 19th minute and was beaten just two minutes later.

A cross-field pass to the right ended with the underlapping Dalot bursting forwards and cutting back to Garnacho, who battled to stretch and turn home.

United smelt blood and immediately hunted a potentially tie-settling second.

Dalot met a fantastic diagonal ball with a strike on Johnstone’s goal, before a last-gasp Chris Richards challenge on Facundo Pellistri prevented another effort on goal.

Mount sent over the resulting corner from the right and Casemiro all too easily shrugged off Jeffrey Schlupp to powerfully head home in the 27th minute.

The goals took the sting out of a tie that already had an exhibition vibe about it, with Palace offering precious little in terms of threat as the hosts showed flashes of quality.

Full debutant Sofyan Amrabat had impressed as a makeshift left-back and stepped up into midfield at half-time after Victor Lindelof came on for Mount.

Marc Guehi replaced Jesurun Rak-Sakyi as Palace made a change of their own, but the England defender’s introduction could not prevent Palace conceding again.

Casemiro picked up a loose ball and swung a fine right-footed cross to the far post, where Martial got behind Nathaniel Clyne to slam home in front of the Stretford End.

Both sides made changes with an eye on this weekend’s reunion, including United handing teenager Dan Gore his debut.

“We’ve had a shot,” chanted the Palace fans after Clyne lashed over and soon had a shot on target to sing about after Andre Onana stopped Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Jonny Evans’ header from a corner was denied by a point-blank Johnstone save as the match wound down, while Onana stopped Mateta again before 18-year-old introduction David Ozoh dragged wide.

Lindelof and Garnacho stung the palms as Johnstone ensured things did not get any worse for the south Londoners.

Middlesbrough secured safe passage to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bradford at the University of Bradford Stadium.

Boro were keen to keep the momentum up from their first league victory, against Southampton at the weekend, and made all of the running in a first half capped by Emmanuel Latte Lath’s strike midway through.

The away side play two divisions higher than their Sky Bet League Two counterparts and made their quality count in the second half through Morgan Rogers as they secured a comfortable away win.

The Championship side came closest to the opener in the third minute after some neat link-up play unlocked the Bantams’ defence, with Tommy Smith sliding it into Lewis O’Brien who blazed over from close range.

The visitors, followed by a 4,000 strong travelling contingent, were on top for the early parts and were inches away from scoring the first but Samuel Silvera’s curling effort from outside the area skimmed the wrong side of a post.

It seemed only a matter of time before Boro got on the scoresheet, and they did just that when Latte-Lath received a ball from Hayden Hackney and squeezed it under Harry Lewis’ legs from inside the area.

Many would argue City’s keeper could have done better for the first but he did well to keep the deficit to one just a couple of minutes later as he remarkably stopped Latte Lath’s header from inside the six-yard box.

Bradford started the second period with more zest and had half an opening after Rayhaan Tulloch danced his way between the Boro defence but curled harmlessly wide of the target.

Boro doubled their lead in the 54th minute after Riley McGree’s square ball found a free Rogers, who easily tapped home to make it two.

Middlesbrough could have made it three just after the hour mark after Hackney flicked the ball into O’Brien, whose goalbound effort was palmed wide by Lewis.

Bradford’s efforts to get back into the encounter seemed tame, which led to large parts of the 15,000 crowd heading for the exit doors early.

The Bantams finally mustered their first shot on target in the 84th minute as Alex Pattison latched onto Tyler Smith’s through ball.

He made Thomas Glover pull off his first save of the night as Middlesbrough advanced in comfortable fashion.

Burnley put their Premier League troubles to one side as they breezed into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup with a 4-0 demolition of Sky Bet League Two strugglers Salford.

Winless in their first five games back in the top flight, Vincent Kompany’s side are enjoying better fortunes in this competition and followed up last month’s victory at Nottingham Forest with a one-sided win over Salford, suffering near the foot of League Two but boasting Cup wins over Leeds and Preston.

Anass Zaroury had a hand in all four goals as Sander Berge, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Dara O’Shea put the result beyond doubt inside the opening half an hour before Wilson Odobert marked his full debut with a late fourth. For all four Burnley scorers, it was their first goal for the club.

It was a welcome flurry from a side who had only scored five goals in six games before this, conceding 14, and puts them into the fourth round for a fourth straight season, although they have not advanced any further since reaching the semi-finals under Owen Coyle in the 2008-09 campaign.

Kompany, who lifted this trophy four times as a player with Manchester City, changed all 11 players from the side beaten 1-0 by Manchester United on Saturday as he juggles his 34-man squad.

But facing a side now on a six-match losing streak, fourth from bottom in the fourth tier and battling a lengthy injury list, there was no surprise in seeing Burnley dominate the ball and quickly take control.

The opening goal was all too easy as Berge, the £15million summer signing from Sheffield United, rose unchallenged to head in Zaroury’s 12th-minute corner.

There was a worry a moment later when Manuel Benson went down awkwardly and immediately signalled for help. The Belgian tried to battle on, and by the time he was eventually replaced by Mike Tresor in the 27th minute, Burnley had scored two more.

First Zaroury lifted a ball through for Bruun Larsen to lob the advancing Salford goalkeeper Alex Cairns.

Then the Moroccan tried to catch out Cairns with a quick free-kick from a tight angle. The keeper stopped the shot but could not hold it, and O’Shea accepted the invite to bundle the ball home.

Tresor had a strike ruled out for offside moments later, while Odobert was inches away from scoring in first-half stoppage time, sending Bruun Larsen’s cross back across the face of goal.

The second half started with Salford right-back Tosin Olapade, released by Burnley in the summer, getting it all wrong trying to clear a Vitinho cross and almost putting the ball into his own net.

Salford then had their best moment when former Northern Ireland international Matty Lund sent Conor McAleny racing through the middle but a combination of Vitinho and O’Shea recovered to make the block.

But the second half was a largely disjointed affair, with Burnley sure of their win and Salford trying to avoid any more damage – something they almost managed to do.

Odobert again went close in the 70th minute, shooting straight at Cairns from a tight angle, but got his goal nine minutes from time when Zaroury picked him out with a cross from the right and he cut back inside before firing into the net.

Luton crashed out of the Carabao Cup as they were beaten 1-0 by League One Exeter at St James Park.

Demetri Mitchell scored the only goal of an absorbing game with seven minutes remaining before he was later sent off after picking up a second yellow card.

Luton made 10 changes to the team that picked up their first point of the Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Wolves at the weekend, while Exeter made five to the side beaten 3-0 at Oxford.

The Hatters started brightly as Tahith Chong broke into the box, only to be denied a shooting chance by a superb tackle from Alex Hartridge, before Luke Berry’s long-range effort was tipped over the bar by Exeter goalkeeper Vili Sinisalo.

Cauley Woodrow then struck the outside of a post after Exeter fell asleep at a quick throw-in before a rare Exeter attack ended with James Scott curling narrowly wide from 25 yards.

Mitchell’s inviting cross was narrowly in front of Scott as Exeter started to come into the game before the former Manchester United youngster saw his shot to the near post saved by Tim Krul.

Elijah Adebayo headed wide for Luton as the game approached the half-hour mark before he saw a shot from 10 yards saved by Sinisalo before a lovely Exeter move ended with Caleb Watts firing high from 25 yards.

Exeter had a great chance to break the deadlock after 61 minutes when Mitchell robbed Joe Johnson and sprinted goalward.

His shot was saved at the near post by Krul before Kyle Taylor fired the rebound wide from 15 yards.

Both teams then made changes – Luton with four in one go – before Adebayo headed wide and substitute Jacob Brown headed straight at Sinisalo from point-blank range.

Luton were getting back on top, with Carlton Morris seeing a header cleared off the line and Brown glancing another header wide before Exeter went in front in the 83rd minute.

Substitute Yanic Wildschut did well down the right and his deep cross was not dealt with, allowing Mitchell to nip in and poke the ball in off the underside of the bar from close range.

Wildschut then fired tamely at Krul before Mitchell then received a second yellow card for a foul with two minutes remaining.

It was now all hands to the pump for Exeter, who defended as though their lives depended on it as a raucous sell-out crowd cheered them on.

And, as much as Luton huffed and puffed, they could not breach an outstanding Grecians defence as Exeter beat top-flight opposition for the first time since 1981 and reached round four for the first time since 1989.