Marcus Rashford's Late Free Kick Leads Manchester United Past Chelsea in EFL Cup

Manchester United advanced to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after defeating Chelsea 2-1 on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge.

Marcos Alonso fouled Daniel James to give United a 21st-minute penalty, and Marcus Rashford made no mistake with his spot-kick.

Michy Batshuayi grabbed the equaliser after a mistake from Harry Maguire after 61 minutes. The forward finished with a spectacular strike from distance.

However, Rashford's outrageous 73rd-minute free-kick from long range sent United into the next round.

The Blues started well and forced the visitors back, but early pressure from Chelsea didn't materialise into scoring opportunities.

United slowly settled to the task, and it was the Red Devils who claimed a surprise lead.

Alonso lost possession of the ball, allowing United to counter-attack, and the Spaniard fouled Daniel James in the box to give away a penalty.

United missed two penalties in their last match against Norwich City in the 3-1 Premier League win, and Rashford made sure lightning didn't strike twice.

The England international kept his calm and his low drive slammed into the back of the net.

United held on until half-time, and Frank Lampard's side grew more frustrated despite dominating possession.

The Blues came out after the interval with an improved tempo, and United failed to adapt to the opening waves of attacks.

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A clearance from Willy Caballero saw the United defence unravel, and Batshuayi beat Maguire as he ran towards goal.

The Belgian unleashed an unstoppable shot from distance to surprise Sergio Romero, and the ball exploded into the bottom corner for the equaliser.

It was a bad goal for United to give away and Maguire was culpable for the mistake which allowed Batshuayi to get behind the back three.

Batshuayi had a big opportunity to punish United further as he sprinted past Marcos Rojo, but the Blues striker slipped before he could burst into the box.

With Chelsea in control, the game was flipped on its head by Rashford with a free-kick which resembled Cristiano Ronaldo in a United shirt.

Rashford's dead ball was struck from long distance, and his shot dipped over the wall to perfectly hit the top corner.

The goal represented the best strike of the Mancunian's career, and Josh Richardson captured the moment from the stands:

Rashford limped off in the closing stages, but the forward had done the damage with two important moments.

Chelsea plugged away in the final 10 minutes, but United shut the game down and collected victory. 

What's Next

Chelsea and United both feature in Premier League action on Saturday. The Blues travel to Watford, and the Red Devils are away at Bournemouth.