Nicely-crafted first-half goals by Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen underlined the visitors' dominance and Antonio Valencia's stunning strike on 48 minutes put the result beyond any doubt.
"The laughter and the jokes have quietened down a little bit. It was a big kick in the teeth as everyone knows," striker Owen told Sky Sports.
"We were a little bit under pressure after the result on the weekend. Although no one here started on the weekend we had United's reputation to look after. Roll on Everton now," he added.
Manager Alex Ferguson was visibly relieved and will hope for a similar performance against Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
"I think we tried to play the history books on Sunday. That's the nature of Manchester United, we try and win whether it's with 10 men or nine," said Ferguson.