Rashford took advantage of a rare Colchester attack leaving them exposed at the back to beat Dean Gerken after a solo run, and five minutes later had a hand in their second as Mason Greenwood's cross was turned past Gerken by Ryan Jackson under pressure from the Manchester United forward.
He then set up the third goal to kill the game as a contest soon after when turning Juan Mata's cross back across goal to provide Anthony Martial a simple finish.
The hosts had struggled to turn their first-half dominance into clear opportunities against a side three divisions below them, but once they found the breakthrough, they added the second and third goals with relative ease to secure a spot in the last four against arch-rivals Manchester City.
Manchester United arrived at Old Trafford acutely aware only a sizeable win would satisfy expectations against a side 61 places below them in the football pyramid, and named a strong team against opponents unbeaten in League Two since mid-October.
Their domination was constant and their residence inside the Colchester half almost endless, but their final ball was very poor in a first half in which Gerken had little of note to worry him.
Colchester have prided themselves on a strong defence this season but Manchester United should still have tested them far more before the break, and only Rashford's sliced miscue from a floated ball into the box looked like it could have threatened a breakthrough. Read Full Story
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