Martial loses out to Meyler over on the left wing and gifts the makeshift full-back with a chance to fire a lofted pass up towards Hernandez. The striker is unable to get a head on the ball, however, and United are easily able to deal with the danger once again.
90' +3
It's all United at the moment as they patiently pass the ball around inside their own half of the pitch. Unsurprisingly, they don't seem in too much of a hurry to push forward seeing as they have two important goals under their belts already.
90' +1
J. Weir enters the game and replaces J. Tymon.
Silva has been given another headache with what looks like an injury to Tymon, forcing the youngster into having to limp off the pitch to be replaced by James Weir for the final few minutes.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
And now Martial goes close! Valencia cuts inside from the right wing and beats his marker before sending a cross straight into the feet of Martial, who quickly unleashes a bouncing volleyed shot that Jakupovic does well to parry away with a diving save.
87'
M. Fellaini has scored a goal for Manchester United! Assist by M. Darmian.
The cross from Darmian was a great one, but, once again, Meyler was left in no man's land over on the left flank, making life far too easy for United.
GOAL! Fellaini makes it 2-0 to United! Darmian is left in a pocket of space over on the left wing and is easily able to whip a lovely cross over to the far post, where Fellaini is waiting. The Belgian battles with Robertson and easily beats the defender in the air before sending a downward header past Jakupovic and into the left-hand corner of the net.
85'
Snodgrass twists and turns over on the right-hand side of the penalty area before whipping a cross over to Clucas, who puts Valencia under pressure and forces the Ecuadorian into heading the ball out for a corner. It's whipped into the box and finds Hernandez, but the striker is unable to guide his headed effort towards goal.
83'
Rashford, who has had a slightly quiet game this evening, bursts down the right flank on a great run as he rushes away from Mason. He then cuts inside before trying to find a red shirt with a low cross into the middle of the box, but Meyler is there to cut out the danger.
81'
Martial darts down the left wing and beats Meyler before slotting a pass into the left-hand side of the Hull penalty area. Rashford rushes forward and does well to meet the ball before trying to cut it back to a team-mate, but he's unable to pick one out and loses out to Jakupovic at the near post.
79'
M. Fellaini enters the game and replaces Mata.
Mata is replaced by Marouane Fellaini in what will be United's final change of the night.
Minute
Description
77'
It's all United at the moment as the home side try to find a late second goal. Hull seem to be content to sit back and try to keep their opponents at bay, as they clearly fancy their chances of nicking a goal of their own in the second leg.
75'
Chance for Maloney! The Scotland international is immediately presented with an opportunity to make an immediate impact after being left in a pocket of space 25 yards away from the United goal, but he scuffs his first-time strike and ends up sending it spinning well wide of its intended target.
74'
S. Maloney enters the game and replaces A. Diomande.
Hull have made their first substitution, with Shaun Maloney coming on to replace Diomande.
73'
Pogba hits the post! Rashford cuts in from the left wing before taking on Clucas, who clumsily trips the youngster to the ground and concedes a free-kick 25 yards away from the Hull goal. Pogba steps up and unleashes a wonderful curling strike, but it bounces off the inside of the near post and out to the right wing.
71'
J. Lingard enters the game and replaces H. Mkhitaryan.
United have made their second alteration of the night, with Mkhitaryan making way for Jesse Lingard.
70'
Valencia skips past Mason just outside of the Hull penalty area over on the right flank before being clipped from behind by Mason, resulting in a free-kick for the home side in a very dangerous position. Mata's steps up and fires a low cross into the middle of the box, but it's poorly hit and easily read by Robertson.
69'
United keep pushing forward before another dangerous cross is curled into the box and over to the far post, but Meyler is there and, this time, is able to clear the ball out for a corner. Hull certainly have their backs against the wall at the moment.
67'
Valencia tries to get involved in the game once again with another marauding run down the right flank, but he sprints forward slightly too soon and is flagged offside just as he's about to whip a cross into the Hull penalty area.
65'
Acrobatic attempt by Diomande! Meyler gets himself into a good position deep down the right flank and quickly whips a great cross over to the far post, where it finds Diomande. The Norwegian pulls away from Valencia before pulling off an audacious scissor-kick, but his effort fails to hit the target and instead flies a few yards over the top of the crossbar.
63'
Darmian drags Diomande to the ground and concedes a free-kick midway inside the United half of the pitch, but Snodgrass is unable to find Hernandez with his swinging cross and the set-piece is easily dealt with by the home side.
61'
Mason loses out in the middle of the pitch and gifts Martial with a chance to make an early impression. The Frenchman initially does well to get forward as he sprints into the Hull half of the pitch, but he's unable to find a way past Maguire and loses out to the centre-back.
59'
A. Martial enters the game and replaces W. Rooney.
After dealing with a quick attack from the restart, Hull swiftly break down the right flank as they try to get back into the game. They're unable to do so, however, and a thumped pass forward from Meyler fails to pick out a team-mate.
Rooney receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he's replaced by Anthony Martial for the final half an hour.
56'
Mata has scored a goal for Manchester United! Assist by H. Mkhitaryan.
Mkhitaryan was slightly wasteful in the first half, but he's started the second period brightly and did well to set up Mata. Still, Hull won't be at all happy with their defender, particularly Robertson's inability to deal with Mata's run.
GOAL! United have broken the deadlock! Once again, Valencia causes problems down the right wing before curling a dangerous cross into the penalty area. Mkhitaryan rises high above Meyler before sending the ball looping over to the far post, where Mata skips past Robertson and easily pokes the ball into the back of the net from close range.
55'
Valencia gets himself into another good position over on the right flank before firing a low cross straight into the feet of Pogba, but the Frenchman's shot from the edge of the penalty area fails to test Jakupovic and instead deflects away from danger.
53'
Valencia charges down the right wing on a speedy run before winning United another corner. Once again it's cleared by Maguire before Pogba tries to pick up the ball over on the opposite flank, but he clumsily pushes Meyler to the ground and needlessly concedes a free-kick.
51'
Rooney goes close! A lofted pass is thumped forward by Pogba and finds Rooney in a wonderful position on the right-hand side of the Hull box, but the captain is unable to break the goalscoring record with a low shot that he drags just wide of the far post.
50'
Snodgrass is put under pressure by Mkhitaryan over on the left wing and ends up running the ball out for a corner, despite his best efforts at trying to keep it in play. The set-piece is whipped in by Mata and almost finds Rashford, but Maguire is there to head the ball away from danger.
49'
Hull move the ball around nicely deep inside the United half of the pitch before Clucas tries to tee up Hernandez with a curling cross from the right-hand side of the penalty area. It's slightly overhit by the midfielder, however, and sails harmessly out of play for a goal-kick.
47'
Early chance for Mkhitaryan! Pogba flies towards the halfway line before lifting a lovely pass over Meyler and towards Mkhitaryan, who is all alone just outside of the Hull penalty area. The Armenian's first touch is poor, however, and sends the ball rolling into the hands of Jakupovic before he can shoot.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +4
Valencia is set up in a great position deep down the right wing and quickly fires a cross over to Mata. The Spaniard looks set to fire a volley as he waits for the ball to land on his feet, but just as it's about to, it's headed away by an important touch from Mason.
45' +2
Pogba and Rooney link up well just outside of the Hull penalty area with short, sharp passes before the Frenchman looks to unleash a shot, but Clucas is there to dive in from behind and dispossess the United midfielder with a great sliding tackle.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
44'
Vital interception by David Meyler! Mkhitaryan flies through the middle of the pitch on a wonderful run before teeing up Rashford with a deft poked pass, but as soon as the youngster is about to shoot, he's dispossessed from behind by Meyler.
43'
Pogba is slowly starting to get more into the game, and he's beginning to cause problems for the Hull midfielders as a result. This time he dances his way past two players before shooting from 25 yards out, but he's unable to beat Jakupovic and instead sees his effort saved at the far post.
42'
After dealing with the danger, Hull counter quickly thanks to a quick release by Jakupovic. Hernandez, who has looked bright since coming on, then flies towards the edge of the penalty area before testing De Gea, but his low shot is well saved by the Spaniard at the near post.
41'
Mata steps up and fires the resulting free-kick into the penalty area and into a dangerous position in front of goal, but Diomande is just about able to get a head on the ball to stop it from finding a red shirt on the edge of the six-yard box.
40'
H. Maguire gets yellow.
Ouch! Mkhitaryan flies down the left wing on a blisteringly quick run before taking on Maguire, who dives into the Armenian and brings him crashing to the ground with a crunching challenge that, unsurprisingly, results in a yellow card for the defender.
38'
Rashford is easily dispossessed on the edge of the Hull penalty area, allowing the visitors to counter quickly. They initially do so well through Snodgrass before the midfielder tries to muscle his way past Herrera, but the Spaniard comes out on top and wins back possession the home side.
36'
Diomande battles his way down the right flank as he takes on both Darmian and Pogba, the latter of whom is forced into poking the ball out for a rare Hull corner. It's whipped in by Snodgrass and almost finds Maguire, but Pogba is there to clear the danger. He's only able to do so as far as Snodgrass, however, and the Scotland international then cuts in from the right before firing a low shot straight into the hands of De Gea.
35'
Mason flies forward on a marauding run before being clumsily tripped over by Mkhitaryan, resulting in a free-kick for Hull 35 yards away from goal. Snodgrass clearly fancies his chances and decides to shoot, but his strike fails to clear the wall camped in front of him.
33'
United win themselves a corner over on the left wing, and it's sent short before the ball is eventually worked over to Mata. The Spaniard then knocks it on to Herrera and sets up the midfielder in an advantageous position just outside of the penalty area, but, like Pogba and Rashford before him, he's unable to hit the target with his long-range effort.
31'
Diomande hits the post! Hull win themselves a free-kick over on the left flank which is dangerously curled into the box by Snodgrass. It's nodded on by Hernandez and finds Diomande at the far post, but the Norwegian's downward headed ends up hitting the woodwork after bouncing past De Gea.
29'
And now Rashford goes close! Pogba causes problems the visitors once again as he darts through the middle of the pitch before teeing up Rashford, who is the latest United player to unleash a long-range shot that gives Jakupovic something to think about. The shot clears the crossbar this time, however, although not by much.
28'
Stinging strike by Pogba! The Hull midfield fall asleep slightly and allow Pogba to pick up the ball completely unopposed 30 yards away from goal. The Frenchman takes a quick touch before testing Jakupovic with a thumping effort, and it's one that the goalkeeper is just about able to flap away for a corner.
26'
Darmian gets himself into a good position over on the left wing before setting up Valencia with a swinging cross that's flicked on by the head of Rooney, but the Ecuadorian is unable to keep his thumping half-volley down and sends it several yards over the top of the crossbar.
25'
Diomande is dragged to the ground over on the right wing and wins Hull a free-kick in an advantageous position. Robert Snodgrass steps up and curls a dangerous cross into the middle of the penalty area, but there's nobody there to meet it and De Gea is able to watch the ball bounce harmlessly out of play.
24'
Another golden opportunity for Mkhitaryan! Once again, Mata causes problems for the Hull back line before spinning and findind Mkhitaryan. The Armenian initially does well to skip past Sam Clucas before shooting from just outside of the box, but he scuffs his effort and ends up sending it flying well wide of the goal.
23'
Herrera and Antonio Valencia link up well deep down the right wing before the latter tries to curl a cross into the box, but he's quickly closed down by Mason and has to settle for a corner. It's sent short and worked towards Mata inside the penalty area, but, despite his best efforts, the Spaniard is unable to dance away from the defenders surrounding him.
21'
A hopeful Mkhitaryan shot from 25 yards out is deflected into the Hull penalty area and over to Rooney. It slightly misses the captain before falling into the feet of Huddlestone, who is lax in clearing the danger and almost gets caught out by Rashford, who was lurking with intent just behind the makeshift centre-back.
19'
A. Hernández enters the game and replaces M. Henriksen.
Abel Hernandez eventually comes on to the pitch to replace Henriksen, who has gone straight down the tunnel.
18'
What a chance for Mkhitaryan! Mata dances his way past Ryan Mason with ease before being perfectly teeing up Mkhitaryan, but, somehow, the Armenian ends up sending his first-time shot comfortably wide of the near post. He really should have hit the target!
17'
The game gets underway with a United free-kick and the home side immediately push forward. They work the ball around quickly before a looping cross into the box is only half dealt with by Maguire, but Rooney is unable to guide his volleyed strike past the wall of defenders camped in front of him.
16'
After receiving medical attention for two minutes, Henriksen eventually gets back to his feet and is forced to gingerly make his way off the pitch with his arm in a makeshift sling. It looks as if the game is going to get underway before Hull can make a substitution.
14'
Pogba and Henriksen clash as they battle for the ball in the middle of the pitch, resulting in a free-kick for United whilst leaving the latter in a heap on the floor. The midfielder seemed to land awkwardly and is holding his shoulder, which has left Marco Silva looking nervous on the touchline.
12'
United come back once again as they try to grab an early lead, but Paul Pogba's lofted pass forward from just inside the hosts' half of the pitch fails to pick out Rashford inside the penalty area and instead ends up bouncing out of play for a goal-kick.
11'
A patient United attack fails to result in a chance on goal for the home side, gifting Hull with a chance to counter quickly. They try to do so after doing well to swiftly get the ball up to Henriksen near the halfway line, but the Norwegian is fouled by Ander Herrera as he tries to spin past the Spaniard and has to settle for a free-kick.
9'
What a run by Harry Maguire! The defender dispossesses Mata inside the Hull half of the pitch and immediately flies forward on a wonderful run. He weaves his way through the middle of the pitch and beats several red shirts before eventually shooting from the edge of the penalty area, but his low shot doesn't have the power behind it to beat De Gea.
7'
Almost an opportunity for Wayne Rooney! Once again, Darmian darts down the left flank and gets himself into a good position in an advanced area. He then cuts a low pass back and finds Marcus Rashford, who swings at a shot and sends the ball bouncing over to Rooney. The captain is in a great position just a few yards away from Jakupovic, but Tom Huddlestone is there to fire the ball away from danger.
5'
Markus Henriksen twists and turns deep down the right flank as he easily skips past Darmian. He then cuts inside and heads towards the penalty area before firing a cross towards Adama Diomande, but it's slightly mishit and sails straight into the hands of David De Gea.
3'
Early chance for Juan Mata! After a good start to the game by Hull, United quickly break away on a speedy counter-attack down the left wing. Henrikh Mkhitaryan flies forward on a marauding run and tees up Matteo Darmian, who then whips a low cross towards Mata. The Spaniard is in a good position on the edge of the box and immediately tests Eldin Jakupovic with a curling first-time shot, but the goalkeeper does well to parry it away with a smart save.
1'
And we're off! United get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg between Manchester United and Hull City at Old Trafford.
As a result, they will no doubt be feeling confident about their chances of placing one foot in the EFL Cup final with another victory here this evening. They comfortably saw off Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday and now must face a Hull side that sit rock bottom of the Premier League table after a tough first half of the season.
Last weekend brought with it yet another victory for United, who head into tonight’s clash in excellent form after winning all of their previous eight games. It’s now over two months since they last tasted defeat, with 11 of their last 14 fixtures ending in wins for Jose Mourinho’s in-form side.
A disappointing first 20 league games for Mike Phelan led to the former United assistant finally getting the boot last week, paving the way for the hiring of Marco Silva. The former Sporting Lisbon and Olympiacos boss has a huge task ahead of him as he desperately tries to save Hull from relegation, so he certainly will have been pleased with his new team’s 2-0 win against Swansea City in the FA Cup on the weekend.
However, the Portuguese will be well aware that tonight’s game presents him with a completely different challenge. The win at home to Swansea was their first against a top-tier opponent since the start of November, whilst it’s now 65 years since they last tasted victory at Old Trafford, with 11 of the previous 12 fixtures between the two sides ending in wins for United.
Hull City substitutes: Marshall, Clackstone, Weir, Maloney, Bowen, Hernandez.
Manchester United substitutes: Romero, Fosu-Mensah, Blind, Fellaini, Carrick, Lingard, Martial.
Manchester United XI (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Darmian; Herrera, Pogba; Mata, Rooney, Mkhitaryan; Rashford.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Jose Mourinho has decided to make seven changes to the United side that started the FA Cup victory against Reading, with David De Gea, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian, Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan returning to the starting line-up to replace Sergio Romero, Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Anthony Martial, respectively.
Meanwhile, Hull boss Marco Silva has made just two alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Jake Livermore and Michael Dawson making way for Harry Maguire and Josh Tymon.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Hull City XI (4-1-4-1): Jakupovic; Meyler, Maguire, Huddlestone, Robertson; Mason; Snodgrass, Henriksen, Clucas, Tymon; Diomande.
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 HULL CITY
It's been a frustrating opening 45 minutes for United, who have enjoyed the vast majority of possession without doing much to struggle a makeshift Hull back line. The visitors have sat deep and defended well, resulting in Rooney and Rashford enjoying few chances on goal. Diomande went closest to scoring with a downward header that hit the post, whilst, at the other end, the hosts have largely tried to test Jakupovic with long-range shots, most of which have failed to give the Swiss goalkeeper much to think about.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 2-0 HULL CITY
It's advantage United at the end of the first leg, and they certainly deserve to leave with a well-earned two-goal lead. Hull battled hard in the first half and did well to keep the determined home side at bay, but, in the end, the Red Devils had too much in the tank and were finally able to break down the visitors, who started to tire after the break and made a few sloppy defensive mistakes.
Commentary
More…