Manchester United v Sunderland – live!

43 min: Borini bustles with purpose down the left and, under pressure from Rafael and forced to turn back slightly, whips a fine cross into the middle for Fletcher. But Evans is right on top of his game at present, and holds his position firmly, denying Fletcher the chance to attack the ball with the heid. This has been a pretty impressive response to falling behind by Sunderland. Old Trafford certainly isn't as loud as it should be right now.

42 min: Sunderland aren't of a mind to lie down, neutrals after some entertainment will be pleased to hear. Fletcher makes ground down the right, and isn't far from slipping a low pass across to Johnson, but Evans, the hero of the moment, intercepts. 

41 min: Another Sunderland corner down the left. O'Shea gets his head to the ball, level with the right-hand post, and heads goalwards. Buttner is on hand to eyebrow it over the bar. Whether that was exactly on target isn't clear, but Buttner didn't have time to wonder, and defended brilliantly. Another corner, from which, nowt.

40 min: The sense of relief around Old Trafford is palpable. United deserve the lead on the balance of play. Januzaj and Kagawa have been excellent. "The mention of Lou Macari reminds me of a favourite story," writes Simon McMahon. "Following his ill-fated spell as Celtic manager, one of the players was asked 'What did you learn from Lou Macari?'. Without hesitating they replied, 'In night time racing on an all-weather track, go for a horse with a low draw'."

36 min: Kagawa dinks and dribbles down the right and into the area. He scoops the ball to the far post, where Fletcher guides an effort onto the post! So unlucky! Welbeck can't slam home the rebound, but Sunderland are forced to bundle out for a corner on the right. From which ...

34 min: Johnson is going nowhere down the Sunderland right. Welbeck, having finally popped up a few minutes ago, continues his star turn by upending the winger. A free kick in a dangerous position, which Johnson rather wastes with a flat delivery. He even gets a second chance, but no dice.

31 min: Welbeck has been quiet so far. He drifts in from the left and scores three rugby points with a fairly poor shot from the edge of the area.

29 min: Januzaj, not for the first time this season, is at the heart of all United's positive moves. He combines with Kagawa down the right and chips a cross into the middle, but not with any great accuracy. Decent combination play, though. Buttner gathers on the other wing, and his slightly witless cross is deflected into the hands of Mannone.

26 min: Januzaj cleverly releases Rafael into the area down the right. For a second it looks like Rafael will have space to pick someone out with a cross, but Borini is over quickly to close him down. That's brilliant harrying by Borini, who did very little at Anfield last season, albeit suffering with injury, but seems to be finding his feet in top-level English football at Sunderland.

24 min: Corner to Sunderland down the left. It's fired to the far post, but O'Shea can't get his napper near it. "Could we get Moyes to fall through the roof before a pre-match interview, to keep up the Frank Spencer likeness?" wonders Chris Gardiner. "Preferably in dungarees with paint on them. It's a long shot but 70's comedy fans would appreciate this light touch." We'll need to find out if David Moyes does his own stunts, Michael Crawford style, first.

22 min: Cattermole rather brilliantly robs Fletcher in the centre circle. Then, with United light at the back, rather less brilliantly hesitates, the chance to break dangerously gone. More of the teeth sucking, this time with added sharp intakes of breath. United aren't quite clicking at the moment. On the touchline, vague Frank Spencer lookalike David Moyes is frowning ostentatiously. "Some Managers Don't 'Ave It," quips French Frank, because someone had to.

21 min: The possession stats are exactly 50-50. Sunderland will be more than happy with this so far. "I was at that first replay at Roker Park in 1976, with my brother, and we remember it chiefly because of Lou Macari," begins Francis Boyle. "The Utd fans, in fine voice, had been singing 'Lou Macari walks on water, la la la la la, la-la la laaa' to the tune of Deck The Halls throughout the match. But then sometime in the second half, one of Sunderland's finest (I forget which one) made an immense, bone-crunching tackle and Macari went down and didn't get up again. All at once, the Fulwell End found their voice: 'Lou Macari walked on water, la la la la la, the bastard SANK!'"

19 min: Liverpool cult hero Luis Garcia retired this week, and Sunderland's Liverpool loanee Fabio Borini nearly scores a memorial goal for him. Remember his screamer against Juventus at Anfield in 2005? This wasn't too far off it, a looping smash from distance, latching onto a long ball down the middle rather than a pass from the right. Still, fairly similar. Other than this one didn't go in, fizzing just over the crossbar instead. It was close enough, mind, for the sucking of a few thousand teeth to be audible.

17 min: Sunderland aren't just sitting back with a view to soaking up pressure. They push forward again, Alonso making ground down the left, then whipping an excitable cross to the far post, where no yellow shirts lurk. No matter, Buttner panics, and skies the ball out of play. It doesn't quite go out for a corner - it's only a throw - but the United fans aren't wholly happy with that, and make their frustrations known. Buttner theatrically points at his lugholes, suggesting he really needed a shout from his fellow defenders, his back having been to the play. He's having a bit of a nightmare so far. So, having said that, the scorer of the winning goal, then, tonight's hero already identified.

15 min: Hernandez repeats the act, only this time down the inside-right channel. Again he handles. It's not quite coming off for the striker yet, but he's putting himself around in the proactive style. United will be pleased with his performance so far.

13 min: Hernandez chases after a looping ball down the inside-left channel, but he's used his arm to control. Still, he nipped towards the byline there with extreme prejudice. He looks in the mood for this tonight, very lively indeed. "Your mention of Gordon Hill, Brian Greenhoff and Stuart Pearson has gotten me all nostalgic for the 70s," writes Justin Kavanagh. "But am I alone in thinking that David Moyes is beginning to bear an uncanny resemblance to Frank Spencer?" You might have something there, actually. We should see what he looks like in a beret. Does anyone have one he can borrow? Or a pair of rollerskates and a length of rope, so we can tie him to the back of a passing bus?

10 min: Ki swings a free kick into the United area from a position near the centre circle down the left. O'Shea heads aimlessly behind, unless he was deliberately going for a spot 20 feet right of the target, in which case he's got that bang on.

9 min: Colback is in plenty of space down the left, but there's no option for him in the centre, so he checks back and fannies around awhile. Eventually he slips the ball inside for Ki, who attempts a shot from 25 yards. It's woefully weak, and rolls harmlessly out of play out on the right.

6 min: Januzaj curls the free kick to the far post. Hernandez, the angle tight, powers a header goalwards. Mannone parries well, and no red shirt can latch onto the loose ball. After a fashion, Sunderland clear. That was so nearly the opening goal. Marvellous delivery by United's player of the season so far.

5 min: Borini slides in on Januzaj as the young United star wheechs down the right. He really should be booked for the challenge, which was ludicrously late, if innocent enough. This will be a free kick in a dangerous position.

4 min: United win the first corner of the evening, Bardsley heading a deep Carrick cross from the right out of play on the left. Januzaj takes, Sunderland deal with it. A bright opening to this game by both sides.

3 min: Buttner, who has yet to convince in a United shirt, goes on a wander down the left but is robbed of the ball by Bardsley with some ease. Sunderland romp up the other end, the excellent Ki instigating the move down the middle. The ball ends at the feet of Alonso along the left, but his cross, Fletcher the intended target, is flat and easily cleared.

2 min: A rare old atmosphere here at Old Trafford. Smalling goes on an early sortie down the middle, but gets nowhere. Fletcher faffs around in the centre circle awhile, but nothing opens up for him either. It's all United possession in the opening exchanges, though. "I'd be interested to know who City fans will be rooting for tonight," begins music hall act Simon McMahon. "Who would they rather face in the final; a struggling, workmanlike team with a new manager, with little or no flair and who struggle to score goals, or Sunderland?" Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together, he's here all week, try the Boddingtons but please do drive home carefully.

And we're off! At the halfway point, Sunderland start the tie 2-1 up. A 1-0 win for United won't be enough to win the tie, as away goals only count double after extra time. But if it's 2-1 after 120 minutes, it'll be kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with the Laws of Association Football. Bring on the drama, my good men! United get the ball rolling. They'll be kicking towards the Stretford End in the second half, and yes I have written it that way because I don't know the name of the stand they're aiming for in the opening 45.

The teams are out! Manchester United are in their famous red clobber ...

... which means Sunderland have to change from their trademark red-and-white stripes into some sort of yellow jazz. But never mind that. No tracksuits, even. In lieu of these outer garments, here's Bob Stokoe in a natty red number at the 1973 FA Cup final, Sunderland's last successful visit to Wembley. Everyone forgets this eye-blistering get-up now, mainly because Stokoe later entertained the country by skedaddling across the Wembley turf in trenchcoat and trilby. You can't buy Stokoe-branded trenchcoats and trilbies at the official Sunderland shop, by the way. An opportunity missed, surely. Anyway, we digress.

Of course, some are saying that this is a particularly vital game for David Moyes and Manchester United. Aside from the fact that it's pretty damn important for success-starved Sunderland too, this is arrant nonsense. The League Cup may be the competition that last did for a Manchester United manager — this eejit ...

... was sent skittering down the A56 on his amply upholstered seat after a thrashing at Southampton in 1986 — but even if the Black Cats, 10-1 for the win and 5-1 to hang on for a draw tonight in some places, put the Red Devils out, Moyes will be just fine. For a start, he's just been handed £40m to spend on Juan Mata. But in any case, he's still got a great chance of making next year's Champions League, while people have forgotten that he's actually doing rather well in this year's edition, with the quarter finals within touching distance. Crisis? Only in the minds of entitled toddlers. And journalists. Which admittedly are arguably one and the same, I'll give you that.

Sunderland have made a habit of giving Manchester United a hard time in the League Cup. They've only been drawn together twice before in the hunt for English football's only three-handled major prize, but on both occasions there's been quite a story to tell.

In 2000, Dwight Yorke put United ahead at the Stadium of Light in the first half of a fourth-round tie. But when Julio Arca headed an equaliser with a quarter of an hour to go, Yorke lost the head, lunging in with both feet on Emerson Thome and getting himself sent off. Sunderland went on to win in extra time thanks to a Kevin Phillips penalty. A mighty fine result for the Black Cats, for United were right at the peak of their imperial phase under Alex Ferguson, although the side they put out that night included Michael Clegg, Michael Stewart, Luke Chadwick, David Healy, Ronnie Wallwork, Danny Webber, and Jonathan Greening, so it's fair to say they were pushing their luck a wee bit.

That was nothing compared to the first time the sides met in 1976, in the third round at Old Trafford. On six minutes, Gordon Hill eschewed the opportunity to clear from his own area in the then-fashionable English 'blooter' style, and flicked a pass inside to Stewart Houston instead. Oh dear! Roy Greenwood stepped in and set up Ray Train to whistle one home. United equalised through Stuart Pearson, and though Tony Towers belted home a screamer with ten minutes remaining to regain the lead for the visitors, Jeff Clarke scored an own goal with less than 180 seconds left on the clock.

The sides replayed the tie at Roker Park. Again Sunderland took an early lead thanks to a United mistake - Jimmy Nicholl gave away a penalty which Towers converted - and again Sunderland threw away victory. First the hapless Clarke failed to deal with a Brian Greenhoff cross, which flew into the net for 1-1. Then, after Train again looked to have won it on 87 minutes, Joe Bolton handled to give Gerry Daly the chance to convert a late penalty. Another 2-2 draw.

United won the second replay, held at Old Trafford, with a late strike from Greenhoff. So whoever comes out victorious tonight not only books a place in the 2014 final - it'll either be the first Manchester derby in a major final, or Sunderland's first big event since 1992 - they'll also take the lead in this little mini-series. Stakes are high, huh? And with Sunderland going into the second game of this two-legged affair with a hard-fought 2-1 advantage from their home tie, we're almost guaranteed another great tale for the ages.

It's: On!

Kick off: 7.45pm