Time flew by. The echoes of the Premier League battles had barely faded when the calendar flipped to October 25th.
The EFL Cup Round of 16—now branded as the Carabao Cup—officially began.
Due to the unique format of the EFL Cup, only the semi-finals are played over two legs.
Every other round, including the final, is a single-match elimination.
It's a sudden-death tournament, which often leads to cautious starts or chaotic finishes.
Clubs with European commitments, like Manchester United, were exempt from the first two rounds, parachuting in at the Round of 32.
In the third round, United had easily dispatched the Championship side Burton Albion to advance.
This time, their opponent was familiar: Swansea City, again.
Since the EFL Cup isn't highly prestigious—often seen as the "third tier trophy"—top teams generally don't prioritize it.
It's a testing ground for youth and a run-out for squad players.
As a result, many "weaker" teams go all out to compete for it.
It's one of the few pieces of silverware they have a realistic chance to lift at Wembley in February.
In the players' tunnel at the Liberty Stadium, the atmosphere was a mix of tension and curiosity.
The players from both teams stood facing each other.
There was no communication, just the rhythmic clatter of studs on concrete.
Kyle Naughton, Swansea's right-back, had his eyes fixed on Jeremy Ling.
He was thinking back to their league encounter.
'Last time... if it hadn't been for Rashford's early runs exhausting me, and me not knowing this kid's tricks... I wouldn't have been made to look so foolish.'
Today, however, Naughton had prepared thoroughly.
He had watched Ling's match videos repeatedly, studying the drop of the shoulder, the burst of pace.
He'd taken notes.
He was determined to reclaim his professional pride.
In the center of the Swansea lineup, Ki Sung-yueng, the South Korean midfield maestro, also cast a cool gaze toward Ling.
The online "Asian Derby" narrative wasn't lost on him, even if he publicly ignored it.
Soon, led by the referee, they walked out of the players' tunnel.
The Liberty Stadium instantly erupted.
It wasn't Old Trafford, but under the floodlights, it was loud.
....
📺 Sky Sports 🎙️
"Good evening, and welcome to the Liberty Stadium for the Carabao Cup Round of 16!"
The voice of Martin Tyler filled the airwaves.
Alongside him was Gary Neville.
"Now let's introduce the starting lineups for both teams!"
"Swansea City has deployed a 4-3-3 formation, fielding essentially all their key players. Paul Clement wants this."
"In goal, Nordfeldt... the back four is Rangel, van der Hoorn, Mawson, Olsson. In midfield, the returning Ki Sung-yueng pulls the strings alongside Mesa and Clucas. Up top, it's Routledge, Ayew, and Abraham."
"Looking at Swansea's recent results," Neville chimed in, "with just 1 win and 4 losses in their last 6 matches, they are struggling in the league. But Ki returning is huge for them. He gives them that control."
"Now, let's look at the visitors, Manchester United. José Mourinho has shuffled the pack significantly. It's a 4-2-3-1, but look at the names."
"Romero in goal. Darmian, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind at the back. The midfield pivot is Herrera and the young Axel Tuanzebe. And the front four... Lingard, McTominay playing high, Ling, and Rashford up top."
"It's a fascinating lineup, Gary. Ling is 18, Rashford is 20, McTominay is 20, Tuanzebe is 19. The average age of that attack is incredibly young."
"It is," Neville agreed. "From this, we can see Mourinho doesn't intend to burn out his starters. He's prioritizing the massive game against Spurs in three days. This is a trial by fire for the kids. Can they handle a rainy night in Swansea?"
The lineup announcement sparked immediate debate online.
@RedDevils_Forum: "Expected this. Mou's abandoning the cup. Resting Lukaku, Matic, and De Gea for Spurs. Makes sense."
@Swansea_Jack: "We've got a real chance here! That United midfield is weak. Ki is going to boss them. Come on you Swans!"
@Korean_Football_News: "Ki Sung-yueng starts! A chance to show his class against United's kids. Let's go Ki!"
@Ling_Fan_Page: "Don't worry everyone! Go Ling! He's been on fire. This is his chance to be the main man without Lukaku demanding the ball."
@United_Skeptic: "I'm worried. Swansea play good football, 'Little Barcelona' and all that. Without Carrick or Matic to steady the ship, these young lads might lose their heads if we go a goal down."
....
Beep!
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
Swansea immediately pushed forward after kickoff, clearly aiming for a fast start to catch United's disjointed, youthful squad off guard.
Ki Sung-yueng received a pass from his teammate.
Scott McTominay, playing in an advanced role, rushed to press him.
Ki calmly dropped a shoulder, let the ball roll across his body, and spun away from the pressure, spraying a pass to the left flank.
He was tall, elegant, and possessed first-class passing skills.
Even if his mobility had declined with age, his brain was still sharp.
Jordan Ayew received the ball.
He didn't hastily turn into trouble.
Instead, he played a wall pass back to a supporting teammate in the center
"Swansea is playing very patiently," Tyler noted. "Constantly circulating possession in the outer areas. It's hypnotic."
"It's clever," Neville added. "It forces United's young players to constantly adjust their positions. It tests their discipline. If you ball-watch for a second against this possession style, they'll kill you."
The game situation continued to shift in the hosts' favor.
Just as Neville feared, United's defense looked disjointed.
The communication between Tuanzebe (a natural defender playing in midfield) and the back four was lacking.
Gaps were appearing in the channels.
8th minute: Ki Sung-yueng looked up and delivered a laser-guided long pass to Nathan Dyer on the right flank.
Dyer took a touch, beat Daley Blind for pace, and immediately whipped in a cross.
Tammy Abraham, the Chelsea loanee, rose near the penalty spot.
He met it with a header, but under pressure from Smalling, he couldn't generate full power.
Sergio Romero, Argentina's number one, shuffled across and comfortably saved it.
The Liberty Stadium erupted with enthusiastic cheers.
Swansea fans saw blood.
'If they can't beat a full-strength United, surely they can handle this youth team?'
Moments later, Swansea won a corner.
Ki sent the ball deep to the far post. Abraham attacked it again, his header flashing agonizingly wide of the post.
"Don't rush! Calm down! Hold your positions!" Daley Blind, the veteran leader of the backline, raised his voice, screaming at Tuanzebe and Herrera to close the gaps.
The Manchester United youngsters nodded, their faces serious.
After the match resumed, United tried to settle.
They passed the ball safely in their own half, strengthening communication, shedding their early nervousness.
But unlike the chaotic Huddersfield game, Swansea's defense under Ki's on-field command was incredibly organized.
The distance between their three defensive lines was perfect—compact, suffocating.
They isolated the United forwards, surrounded them, and coordinated to win back possession.
United's lack of a true playmaker was exposed.
Neither McTominay nor Lingard possessed the vision of a Mata or a Pogba to pick the lock.
They were runners, not passers.
As time passed, the match descended into a stalemate. Swansea couldn't finish; United couldn't create.
In the 27th minute. Jeremy Ling received a pass from Tuanzebe near the touchline.
He turned and quickly dribbled forward, his eyes scanning for weakness.
He wanted to use his individual ability, the power that had destroyed Huddersfield, to break the lines.
But Kyle Naughton, having learned his lesson, didn't dive in.
He didn't recklessly challenge.
He stood off, jockeying, and shouted for help.
Immediately, Ki Sung-yueng dropped back, and Leroy Fer shifted over.
They formed a triangle around Ling.
Meanwhile, Alfie Mawson stepped up aggressively to cut off the passing lane to McTominay, while the other center-back stuck to Rashford like glue.
It was a well-organized, suffocating man-to-man defense.
United's defensive midfielders, Herrera and Tuanzebe, were too deep, worried about the counter, and couldn't offer support.
Ling found himself isolated against three men.
A month ago, he might have tried to dribble through them all and lost the ball.
But today, he showed maturity.
He didn't arrogantly attempt the impossible.
He shielded the ball, turned, and decisively passed it back to Blind.
'Live to fight another day.'
Losing possession there would have gifted Swansea a dangerous counter-attack.
On the sidelines, Mourinho stood with his hands in his pockets.
He didn't seem too worried.
He quickly made a few gestures—a spinning motion with his fingers.
Rotate. Move.
He was instructing his front four to be fluid. Don't be static. In his view, this youth team wasn't weak; they were just rigid.
'Lingard,' he thought, 'is chaos'.
He excelled at creating confusion in the half-spaces with his relentless running.
McTominay wasn't a creator, but he was a physical presence.
He had excellent ball protection and could shield the ball to bring others into play.
Ling and Rashford were the speed and the finish.
The technical qualities of this front four could, in theory, perfectly complement each other.
Against a mid-table team like Swansea, they should be able to create a threat.
They just needed a spark. They just needed to wait for the mistake.
Mourinho glanced at the clock. 30 minutes gone. 0-0.
Patience, he told himself. The kids are alright.
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