When Manchester United were sent rock bottom of the Premier League after conceding four unanswered goals against Brentford at the start of the season, their supporters could scarcely believe what they were watching. It was the English giants' second successive humiliating defeat at the hands of underdog opponents.

The Red Devils' new manager Erik ten Hag, who came under plenty of scrutiny after replacing Ralf Rangnick, was left looking on in pure shock as his listless players repeatedly hit the self-destruct button. 

Was it the start of another tumultuous campaign? Not quite. 

Five months on, United are only two victories away from their first trophy in six years after Ten Hag's team outclassed Charlton 3-0 to reach the League Cup semifinals.

After the low point of the Brentford loss, the Dutch tactician managed to instigate a huge improvement in performance and get his side back on track with a stunning winning streak. They have been one of the most consistently brilliant sides in recent weeks as they have won all six of their matches in all competitions after the World Cup. They have also kept five clean sheets along the way.

"I said before, we have to reach the semifinals and we did the job," said Ten Hag. "We had to finish the game early on but, in the end, the objective was getting to the semifinals so compliments to the team. The only thing I'm not happy with is we had to finish the game early on, finish the scoring chances or take an extra pass.

"I know this is a good opponent and they defend well, they have good organization, they're tough and they fight for their lives and that's good. I like the opponent, the way they act, I think it is a big compliment for them."

With an eye on the much-anticipated Manchester derby at Old Trafford this weekend, Ten Hag rested a clutch of regular stalwarts and sent out a fresh-looking starting line-up. The pick of the bunch was 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who was tasked with dishing out passes to the forward line in the playmaker role at his home debut.

To his credit, the lively Mainoo looked comfortable with the ball and received a warm ovation from the home fans as the English youngster was subbed off in the second half. But United failed to translate their advantage into more goals after Brazil striker Antony produced a marvelous long-range strike at 21 minutes.

As United obviously lacked the killer instinct to make the game safe, Ten Hag brought on his A-list talisman Marcus Rashford on the hour mark. 

Right on cue, United swarmed all over Charlton in wave after wave of attacks, and Rashford duly repaid his manager's trust by netting two electrifying goals. He fired home a brilliant pass from fellow substitute Facundo Pellistri before outwitting goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer in the final minute of injury time with a calm finish.

After taking his tally for the season to 15, Rashford has now smashed United legend Wayne Rooney's record by scoring for the eighth home game in succession.

"I have said many times, when he brings himself in the position, when the team brings him in the position, one-on-ones, he will score," beamed Ten Hag when asked about Rashford's thrilling goal-scoring form. "If he keeps the focus and putting the same effort in, he will keep continuing scoring."

There is no denying that the ruthlessness Ten Hag demanded ahead of the game was flawlessly demonstrated by the in-form Rashford. And when United welcome arch-rivals City to Old Trafford on Saturday, the English wunderkind will now have ambitions of inflicting more damage on their illustrious opposition and put his team into the title race.

It took United almost half of the season to get their mojo back, but better late than never.