It may have been Manchester United who reached the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, but it will be Rochdale who will have left Old Trafford holding their heads highest.

This eventual victory will not mask the concern for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that will come from the number of chances his Manchester United side failed to put to bed against a dogged Rochdale side, who stood firm in the face of that unrelenting assault from the giants of English football they were up against, even showing stronger powers of resilience, with Luke Matheson's equaliser after Mason Greenwood's opener for the hosts meaning the League One side responded to that setback in a way United failed to do on the few occasions they were challenged.

Right from the start, it was clear how this one was going to play out.

United would dominate possession and chances, with Rochdale desperately throwing themselves in the way in an attempt to keep their illustrious hosts out, and for a time it worked.

While the likes of Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood would make a number of dangerous runs into the Dale area, a combination of overhit passes and late interceptions would deny them the chance to put the ball past Robert Sanchez in the visitor's goal net.

With that proving unsuccessful, United's next approach was to make their chances from distance, but shots from outside the area from Rojo, Pogba and Pereira would all fail to trouble Sanchez.

Eventually, however, the chances would come for the five-times champions of this competition, and United manager Solksjaer will have been wondering how his side didn't go into the break at least one to the good, with Pogba putting over a free header from eight yards out after a delicious ball from Greenwood, before the youngster himself was denied by the strong hands of Sanchez when one on one with the Brighton loanee.

Rochdale for their part did show an intent on the counter, with Oliver Rathbone and teenager Luke Matheson making a string of dangerous runs down the left and right flanks respectively, although the final ball would fail to find its man on several occasions, and as a result, the League One outfit will have been pleased to head in at the break all square.

It would looked though it would be the same story straight from the restart, as United again went close to taking lead from distance, as Pereira's effort took a vicious deflection off Keohane to bounce narrowly wide of the post.

From the resultant corner however, Rochdale would nearly take an unlikely lead of their own.

Breaking from the United set-piece, Rathbone would find himself on the by-line in the United area and, with Camps expecting the net to bulge from the cut-back, Wan-Bissaka produced a last ditch goal-line clearance to deny the Rochdale man a famous moment.

Spurred on by that scare, United again pressed their assault for an opener, with Greenwood and Lingard both trying their luck, as Solskjaer sent for Daniel James in an attempt to make the difference.

It was a chance that almost worked immediately, with James' pace allowing him t break away from his man and play the ball into Greenwood inside the Dale earlier, although once again it would be Sanchez who came out in top in that particular one on one.

Next time round however, it would be Greenwood who would finally get his goal, and the breakthrough for United, as a move that started with teenage substitute debutant Brandon Williams picking up the ball inside the Rochdale half, ended with Greenwood firing low into the centre of the Rochdale goal from inside the area 20 minutes from time.

If United thought that would be enough however, they were mistaken, as Rochdale would stun Old Trafford barely five minutes later, with a moment to remember for another teenager: Luke Matheson, as he arrived at the back post to brilliantly fire home a first-time effort Rathbone's cut back.

Once again, United would be left to rue their poor finishing as they failed to find a winner, with Wan-Bissaka and James in particular missing big chances with the goal gaping, before the referee obliged to the whistles of the Rochdale crowd after six minutes of stoppage time to confirm that the League One side had taken Manchester United to penalties at Old Trafford, and while it would be United who would win through, with Jimmy Keohane the only man to miss from the spot, it was the Rochdale squad who departed the pitch last, to a well earned, well deserved standing ovation.