Four-goal Tevez fires five-star United into semi-finals

Manchester United stormed into the League Cup semi-finals in style as Carlos Tevez’s four-goal haul earned a 5-3 victory over Blackburn on Wednesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson made 10 changes to the United team who won at Manchester City on Sunday but they were still too strong for Rovers at Old Trafford.

Tevez was credited with the first goal nine minutes before the break, although Blackburn’s South Africa midfielder Aaron Mokoena was close to turning the ball into his own net.

Nani added a second goal five minutes before the interval from Tevez’s assist before South African forward Benni McCarthy pulled one back within two minutes of coming on as a half-time substitute.

Tevez grabbed his second from the spot in the 51st minute before completing his first hat-trick in English football by rounding off a move of real quality three minutes later.

Matt Derbyshire and McCarthy struck in the final minutes to set up a dramatic finale but Tevez eased United through with his fourth goal in stoppage time.

It may have been a second string side, but United were well worth their victory and Ferguson was also able to give Paul Scholes a run out as the midfielder continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury.

England goalkeeper Ben Foster had a couple of decent early touches as he pushed away Stephen Warnock’s header with just three minutes gone after Roque Santa Cruz and Derbyshire had flicked on Paul Robinson’s free-kick.

But soon United were in control, with Nani providing a constant threat on the left of United’s three-man attack.

The Portuguese blasted over and had another effort blocked on the edge of the box before Darron Gibson had a header cleared off the line by Martin Olsson after he had beaten Robinson from Ryan Giggs’ corner.

Foster did well to hold a Keith Treacy shot that skidded off the turf and was quick off his line to force Warnock to lift the ball well over the bar after the former Liverpool man latched on to Derbyshire’s lofted through-ball.

But United were soon in front after poor Blackburn defending. Giggs lofted a free-kick from the right flank to the far post and Tevez beat Mokoena to the ball to bundle it home.

And Nani doubled the lead five minutes before the interval by skipping past Ooijer, exchanging passes with Tevez and then sweeping a shot past Robinson.

Rovers looked like they might make a game of it after the interval when manager Paul Ince, a former United player, opted to go with two in attack and after Santa Cruz and Jonny Evans failed to make contact with a long ball forward, McCarthy made Gary Neville look weak and slow and powered a shot in to the corner of Foster’s net.

But the chances of a fightback were killed off within two minutes when Giggs played Tevez into space and the striker went down under Andre Ooijer’s challenge in the box before sending Robinson the wrong way with his penalty.

In the 54th minute, Tevez completed his hat-trick.

Anderson picked the ball up in midfield, fed Giggs, who returned the pass with a back-heel, then swapped passes with Tevez before squaring the ball for the Argentinian to slot the ball home.

Scholes came on for the final 25 minutes as he made his first appearance since suffering knee ligament damage in September and after Giggs sliced wide from five yards, the former England man dragged wide from distance.

Derbyshire pulled another back for Blackburn with seven minutes left and McCarthy clipped in from Derbyshire’s cross in added time before Tevez added a fifth for United.