Manchester United 4 Burton Albion 1

The Reds flew out of the blocks and Rashford was on hand to open the scoring after just five minutes. After being found in acres of space following Lingard's flick-on, the England striker was able to clip past Connor Ripley in the Burton goal.

United broke again just moments after the opener and, had it not been for Ben Turner's sliding block, Lingard would have doubled his side's lead. However, it did not take long for the Reds to extend the advantage as, after a brief period of possession, Rashford picked up Daley Blind's pass, turned away from his marker and scored again.

Juan Mata and Martial both missed good chances, before the Brewers nearly caught United on the break when Joe Mason's chip was saved by Sergio Romero. Nevertheless, the Reds' pressure was relentless and Mata soon struck the postr, which allowed Matteo Darmian to find Martial for acrobatic fashion that was blocked.

Martial, who proved a major thorn in the Burton side, played his part in United's third goal. After turning Tom Naylor inside out, he found Lingard in space on the edge of the box and the no.14's deflected effort left Ripley helpless ahead of the break.

Jose Mourinho's men immediately took control of possession and territory in the second period, and Burton had barely left their half by the time Martial netted the Reds' fourth, as he calmly slotted home after latching onto Rashford's through-ball. The Frenchman had two more golden chances as later in the half, but his first hat-trick for the club unfortunately never arrived.

Scott McTominay and Joel Pereira were both given minutes late on. Another major positive was the 45-minute cameo enjoyed by Luke Shaw, as he made his first senior appearance of the campaign following a lengthy period of absence through injury.

The visitors thumped home a consolation goal in injury time through Dyer after picking up the ball in space, but the night still belonged to the reigning League Cup champions. 

THE LINE-UPS 

United: Romero (Pereira 78); Darmian, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind; Carrick (c), Herrera; Lingard, Mata (Shaw 45), Martial; Rashford (McTominay 64).
Substitutes not used: Jones, Young, Fellaini, Lukaku.
Booked: None

Burton Albion: Ripley; Naylor, Flanagan, Turner (Warnock 45); Akpan (Akins 77), Allen (Murphy 45), Lund, Palmer, Dyer; Varney (c), Mason. 
Substitutes not used: Campbell, McFadzean, Akins, Sordell, Scannell.
Booked: Akpan 42, Warnock 71.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Although Rashford scored twice, it was Martial who claimed the award following his excellent performance that yielded one goal and an assist. The former AS Monaco man earned 81 per cent of votes cast by followers of @ManUtd on Twitter, beating off competition from fellow nominees Marcus and Mata. Congrats! 

 

The fans have spoken... @AnthonyMartial is tonight's #MUFC Man of the Match.

Well played, Tony! pic.twitter.com/EwOAdwqt8N

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 20, 2017

TALKING POINTS

Strength in depth: Despite the fact Mourinho made nine changes to his side to face Burton, the Reds were utterly dominant from the first minute, and players who had not previously seen many minutes made strong claims to start at Southampton on Saturday. Carrick and Herrera were both flawless in the middle of the park, shielding their defence, and starting attacks with consummate ease. Meanwhile, Lindelof and Smalling both put in assured performances in the heart of defence and were rarely troubled.

Pace to burn: The attacking trio of Martial, Lingard and Rashford was truly a sight to behold. All three players are blessed with great pace and dribbling ability, and it was on show for all to see on Wednesday night. The crowd rose in anticipation each time one of them was in possession and, of course, their threat was not merely consequential as all three of them found the back of the net.

Shaw's return: The left-back looked an assured figure in both attack and defence after his entry immediately after the break. Shaw had the ball in the net just minutes after coming on, only for his strike to be ruled out for offside, though he later provided several dangerous balls for his team-mates to attack. And in defence, he made two perfectly timed tackles on the edge of his own box to bring a rare Albion attack to a halt.

Who's next? Saturday's match sees United travel south to face Southampton, where the Reds will look to continue the unbeaten start to the Premier League, and even put some daylight between themselves at Manchester City at the top of the table.

With regards to the League Cup, Mourinho's men were drawn against Swansea City after the final whistle at Old Trafford and that tie will take place in Wales.