Man United routs third-division Barnsley 7-0 in English League Cup

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag savored the “perfect night” after routing third-division Barnsley 7-0 in the English League Cup on Tuesday.

It was United's biggest margin of victory under the Dutchman, who has been in charge for more than two years.

Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored two goals each in the third round match at Old Trafford, with Antony also on target.

“Not for me, but for the team, this is the perfect night. I think we could do everything that we planned to do. We won, (we are in) next round, scored some great goals, entertained the fans and we worked on our game model, so we are happy,” Ten Hag said.

The size of the victory surpassed United's previous best under Ten Hag: 4-1 wins against Real Betis and Chelsea in his first season at the club. It was the biggest since a 9-0 win over Southampton under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021.

Encouragingly for Ten Hag, Rashford's scoring touch appears to have returned after a troubled season last year when he managed just nine goals.

Rashford's double came after he ended a 12-game barren run with a goal against Southampton over the weekend.

“Football is football. Sometimes you have ups and sometimes downs, but we have to use these games to get momentum and consistency," Rashford said.

Garnacho also scored in that 3-0 win in the Premier League and emulated Rashford by making it three goals in his last two games.

Eriksen struck twice late on.

Rashford blasted United in front after cutting inside Marc Roberts in the 16th minute. Antony doubled the lead when winning and then converting a penalty in the 35th.

Garnacho poked home from close range in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

United overpowered Barnsley after the break with Garnacho scoring his second when racing through on goal in the 49th. Rashford scored again in the 58th.

It was the first time Rashford has scored more than one goal in a game since February 2023.

Eriksen's double came in the 81st and 85th.

Bottom of the Premier League and without a point, Everton’s troubled campaign went from bad to worse after it was eliminated by second-to-last Southampton — losing 6-5 on penalties.

The Merseyside team had taken the lead through Abdoulaye Doucoure in the 20th at Goodison Park, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis evened the game in the 32nd.

Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved Ashley Young's penalty in sudden death to seal Everton's fate.

Eberechi Eze struck the winner as Crystal Palace beat second-division Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and Brentford survived an early scare against third-tier Leyton Orient to win 3-1.

Brandon Cooper fired Orient ahead in the 11th, but Fabio Carvalho, Mikkel Damsgaard and Christian Norgaard eased Brentford to victory.

Second-division Preston secured the biggest shock of the night by beating Fulham 16-15 in an epic penalty shootout.

The game ended 1-1 at full time with Ryan Ledson putting Preston ahead in the 35th and Reiss Nelson equalizing for Fulham in the 61st.

What followed was the longest shootout in League Cup history with Preston eventually triumphing after 34 spot kicks.

After 32 penalties were successfully converted, Fulham's Timothy Castagne missed the target and Ledson made no mistake to fire Preston into the fourth round.

It was a different story as Stoke overcame Fleetwood 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Sheffield Wednesday beat Blackpool 1-0.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Crystal Palace's Eddie Nketiah, center, celebrates scoring during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Queens Park Rangers QPR and Crystal Palace at the Loftus Road Stadium, London, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)

Queens Park Rangers' Karamoko Dembele, left, and Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell in action during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Queens Park Rangers QPR and Crystal Palace at the Loftus Road Stadium, London, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)

Leyton Orient's Sonny Perkins, left, and Brentford's Christian Norgaard battle for the ball during the English League Cup third round soccer match at the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Preston North End's Ryan Ledson, center, celebrates scoring during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Preston and Fulham at Deepdale, Preston, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)

Everton's Michael Keane, left, and Southampton's Adam Armstrong battle for the ball during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho is celebrated by Manchester United's Casemiro after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Christian Eriksen celebrates after scoring the 6th goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford after scoring the fifth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, top, is tackled by Barnsley's Barry Cotter during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag claps hands prior to the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford scores the opening goal against Barnsley's goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Antony, right, reacts to Manchester United's goalkeeper Altay Bayindir at halftime during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Antony, left, celebrates scoring with Alejandro Garnacho during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho, left, after scoring the fifth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — A hat trick and two assists: Lionel Messi came back in style for Argentina in its 6-0 home win in a South American World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday.

Messi, who missed two rounds of the competition in October due to a right ankle injury, played from start to finish on Tuesday in front of raucous fans at the Monumental de Nuñez Stadium, who chanted his name after he opened the scoring in the 19th minute.

Its archrival Brazil, whose coach Dorival Júnior was under pressure earlier this month, got some relief with a convincing performance in a 4-0 home win against Peru.

Argentina remained as leaders of the round-robin competition with 22 points after 10 matches, three points clear of second-place Colombia, who earlier beat Chile 4-0. Uruguay, which earlier had a goalless draw with Ecuador, and Brazil come next with 16 points.

The Uruguayans are in third position on goal difference.

Ecuador and Paraguay follow, with 13 points each, but the Ecuadorians have one more win to take the fifth position.

The top six teams in the region will secure automatic berths in the next World Cup. The seventh-place team, currently Bolivia, will play in an international playoff for a spot in the tournament in 2026.

Two more rounds of South American World Cup qualifying will be played in November.

Messi's first goal came after a mistake by a Bolivian defender, who missed a pass and allowed the 37-year-old Messi to run freely and finish unchallenged in front of goalkeeper Billy Viscarra. Messi assisted on Lautaro Martínez's goal in the 42th minute and gave a decisive pass once again in added time on a goal by Julián Álvarez.

Argentina appeared to slow its pace after the break, but scored again with Thiago Almada in the 69th minute. The striker scored from close range after a low cross by Nahuel Molina.

Messi's show had two great finishing touches from the edge of the box, the first in the 84th and the second in the 86th minute.

“We enjoyed this, we are happy to be here playing in Argentina,” said Messi, who once again refused to say whether he will play in the next World Cup in 2026. “This could be one of the last (matches in front of the Argentinian crowd).”

Bolivia, which is seeking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 30 years, remains in contention with 12 points.

This month's rounds of South American qualifying were important for coach Dorival Júnior. His team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the latest Copa America and was struggling against rivals it used to beat easily, such as Paraguay and Venezuela.

Júnior's chances of success seemed low in matches against Chile and Peru due to injuries affecting several of his starters; goalkeeper Alisson, defender Éder Militão and striker Vinicius Júnior were all out. But a last-minute win against the Chileans and a convincing display against the Peruvians will give the Brazil coach some relief.

Raphinha scored from the spot twice to put Brazil in front in Brasilia, the first in the 38th minute and the second in the 54th.

Substitute Andreas Pereira made more than 60,000 fans at the National Stadium gasp when he scored with a volley in the 71st minute. Another substitute, Luiz Henrique, scored for the second consecutive match for the national team with a classy shot from the edge of the box.

“These were two matches that we controlled well,” Raphinha said. “We are far from perfection, but we are on the right track.”

Chile's loss to Colombia has placed the job of coach Ricardo Gareca at risk. Davinson Sánchez, Luis Díaz, Jhon Durán and Luis Sinistierra scored the goals for Colombia. Chile is in last place in the qualifying group with only five points.

Paraguay beat Venezuela 2-1 and moved into a qualifying position in the standings. Jon Aramburo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute, but striker Antonio Sarabia came off the bench to win it for the hosts with goals in the 59th and 74th minutes.

Savarese reported from Sao Paulo

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Brazil's Raphinha, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal from the penalty spot against Peru during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's Rodrygo, left, is challenged by Peru's Luis Advincula during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Referee Esteban Ostojich points to the penalty spot after a VAR review to grant Brazil a penalty during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Peru at Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's Luiz Henrique celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal against Peru during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, celebrates with teammate Thiago Almada after scoring his side's fifth goal against Bolivia during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Argentina's Lionel Messi scores his side's sixth goal against Bolivia during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina's player celebrate after Lionel Messi scored their sixth goal against Bolivia during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Uruguay's Nahitan Nandez, left, and Ecuador's Alan Minda compete for the ball during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Uruguay's coach Marcelo Bielsa reacts during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Ecuador at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Chile's coach Ricardo Gareca gestures during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Colombia at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombia's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Chile during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Argentina's Lionel Messi looks on during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina's Lautaro Martinez, celebrates with teammate Lionel Messi after scoring his side's 2nd goal against Bolivia during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)