Manchester United beat West Ham United 4-1 in the Quarter-Finals of the EFL Cup to secure a semi-final berth, thanks to a brace each by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial.
And while Zlatan and Martial, combined with solid performances from Wayne Rooney and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were the cream of the crop, Bastian Schweinsteiger stole the show as he came on for a cameo.
The veteran came close to scoring while also provided a pre-assist in the buildup to Zlatan’s second goal and United’s fourth. And, United fans went crazy seeing the beleaguered midfielder on the pitch
Bastian Schweinsteiger is back on the pitch for Manchester United. What a night of entertainment. Perfect ending.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) November 30, 2016
WATCH: Listen to this reaction. Bastian Schweinsteiger comes on and gets a superb reception https://t.co/teTq5pVNoE https://t.co/0JwsZRz39v
— Sky Football ⚽️ (@SkyFootball) November 30, 2016
Bastian returns!! What a lovely moment. pic.twitter.com/nmUcIQxiwd
— Man Utd Videos (@ManUtdVid) November 30, 2016
BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER IS ON THE PITCH FOR MANCHESTER UNITED. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, HE IS PLAYING FOOTBALL FOR MANCHESTER UNITED. pic.twitter.com/hhu7IFA0Md
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) November 30, 2016
Bastian Schweinsteiger coming on for Manchester United should have been John Lewis’s Christmas advert. Enough to make a grown man cry.
— From The Stands (@FromTStands) November 30, 2016
Zlatan having a little hug with Rooney and Schweinsteiger. Lovely old man scenes.
— Paul (@UtdRantcast) November 30, 2016
That goal wasn’t possible without Schweinsteiger.
— Alex Shaw (@AlexShawESPN) November 30, 2016
A smiling Bastian Schweinsteiger as he comes on to the pitch. Love how delighted he looked to get that reception from the fans.
— The Man Utd Way (@TheManUtdWay) November 30, 2016
I’d rather see Man United lose with Bastian Schweinsteiger on the pitch than without him
— Common Denominator (@komonDnominator) December 1, 2016
Fans love this man!
Schweinsteiger #MUFC— Road Alerts (@RoadAlertsKE) December 1, 2016
And, Twitter hailed the overall United result and the fairytale storyline it provided.
Two assists for Mkhitaryan
Two goals for Martial
Two goals for Zlatan
Angry Rooney playing fantastic
Bastian backGreat night ? #mufc ?⚽️?? pic.twitter.com/sAkU827wDH
— Full Time Reds (@FULLTIMEREDS) November 30, 2016
Schweinsteiger in from the cold, freeing Herrera, Zlatan finish. 4-1. Mkhitaryan superb. Zlatan, Rooney, Valencia, Martial, Carrick + shone
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) November 30, 2016
2 assists-Mkhitaryan
2 goals-Martial
2 goals-Zlatan
0 losses-Carrick
Anddddddd….
BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER IS BACK!
BEST DAY!#MUFC #MUNWHU— Stanley Chiu (@TheLazyKidOfJoy) November 30, 2016
Two goals for Zlatan
Two goals for Martial
Two assists for Mkhitaryan
Bastian makes an appearancePerfect night.
— 🙂 (@ManUnitedFanII) November 30, 2016
What a night. United play brilliant football. Pacy wingers. Mkhi assists, Martial / Zlatan goals. Rooney of old & Schweinsteiger gets on!!
— Everything Man Utd (@everything_utd) November 30, 2016
