Man Utd beat Hull, move closer to the League Cup final.

Goals from Mata and Fellaini helped Jose Mourinho's side secure a 2-0 victory at home in the first leg of the semi-final last night, January 10th.

Goals: Mata 56', Fellani 87'

As stated before the match, Jose Mourinho fielded a nearly full-strength team, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the only significant absence. Hull City were also without captain Michael Dawson due to injury and were still finding stability after recently appointing Marco Silva, Mourinho's compatriot, to the manager's position.Coach.

The Old Trafford side enjoyed a significant advantage in terms of possession, but also faced strong resistance from the visitors in the first 45 minutes. In the second minute, Juan Mata forced goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic to make a full-stretch save from a quick and dangerous volley following a cross from Matteo Darmian. Jakupovic then made another successful save from a long-range shot by Paul Pogba. In the 18th minute, Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a chance but missed a well-placed tap-in.

The most notable chance created by Hull in the first half was Adama Diomande's header that hit the post after a Robert Snodgrass free kick. However, the referee blew the whistle for offside against the visiting team's first player to receive the ball, before it reached Diomande.

Mata helped Man Utd break the deadlock. Photo: Reuters.

In the second half, Man Utd increased the tempo of the game even further and quickly scored the opening goal thanks to Mata. It was a close-range tap-in by the Spanish midfielder after a header pass from Mkhitaryan. This was Mata's third goal in his last four matches in this competition.

This goal immediately relieved the pressure on the home team. In the 73rd minute, the lead could have been doubled if Pogba's free-kick hadn't been denied by the post. However, Man Utd fans didn't have to wait much longer to witness their team's second goal. With about three minutes remaining in the second half, Marouane Fellaini – who had come on as a substitute for Mata – sealed the victory by heading in a cross from Darmian into the net against Hull.

In this match, Wayne Rooney started and played 60 minutes before being substituted for Anthony Martial. The Manchester United captain received significant attention after equaling the record of 249 goals for the "Red Devils" held by legend Bobby Charlton, and with just one more goal, he would become the club's all-time leading scorer.

Rooney had two chances to do so, but failed. First, an unsuccessful run to meet Marcus Rashford's cross in the 10th minute, and then a shot that went wide of the post after a superb long pass from Pogba.

Rooney missed the opportunity to break the goalscoring record in this match. Photo: Reuters.

With Manchester United trailing league leaders Chelsea by 10 points in the Premier League and only having played four rounds of the FA Cup, Mourinho is showing his seriousness about the League Cup. The Portuguese manager is aiming for his first trophy with Man Utd in this competition.

Yesterday's match also marked the ninth consecutive victory across all competitions for the Old Trafford side, their best winning streak since February 2009.

According to VNE