Manchester Utd - 4 Barnet - 1: In years to come Ross Flitney might be able to raise a smile to the question: which goalkeeper was sent off at Manchester United with his very first touch? One day he might even laugh about the long walk to the tunnel but last night the 21-year-old was using his gloves to wipe the tears from his eyes.
Only 80 seconds had elapsed when Flitney charged from his goal line to meet an innocuous through ball but ran a yard outside the box before clasping it in both hands. He became the fastest red card in Old Trafford history. From the subsequent free-kick Liam Miller scored an exquisite goal.
Alex Ferguson's disdain for this competition could be gauged by the fact United's shirt numbers totalled 322, with six players aged 21 and under and Wes Brown, a veteran at 26, wearing the captain's armband. This was a glimpse into the future and United supporters will have no complaints with Ferguson's decision to include Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Giuseppe Rossi rather than Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
When Ferguson introduced this policy in 1994 Port Vale's fans complained so bitterly a local MP raised the issue in parliament. "That was the time I gave David Beckham and Paul Scholes their senior debuts," Ferguson now recalls. One day he clearly hopes there will be sentimentalists who recall the night Adam Eckersley, Ritchie Jones and Lee Martin were among those taking on the side fourth from bottom of League Two.
Even Ferguson shook his head sympathetically as Flitney trudged away. From the dressingroom he probably heard the cheers when Miller scored and, in the 20th minute, when Kieran Richardson swung over a free-kick and the ball bounced into the far corner.
At times the passing, penetration and speed of thought from Ferguson's youngsters was superior to the fare served up this season by established players. Rossi's goal was a case in point, taking down Martin's right-wing delivery and beating Flitney's replacement Scott Tynan with a stylish effort. Yet the night ended disappointingly for the home side, with Gerard Pique's slip allowing Dean Sinclair a soft goal. Martin was taken off on a stretcher after colliding with the advertising boards and, as Ebanks-Blake added the fourth in the 90th minute, stewards clashed with a small group of fans protesting about Malcolm Glazer's takeover.
MANCHESTER UTD (4-4-2): Howard; Bardsley, Pique, Brown, Eckersley; Martin (Gibson, 75), Miller, Jones, Richardson; Rossi, Ebanks-Blake. Subs not used: Park, Smith, Silvestre, Steele.
BARNET (4-4-2): Flitney; Hendon, Yakubu, King, Gross; Soares (Tynan, 3), Sinclair, Lee (Batt, 88), Bailey; Grazioli (Hatch, 75), Strevens. Subs not used: Charles, Graham.
Referee: R Beeby
