The glamour of the FA Cup returned on Monday night, as United coasted to a 2-0 away victory against Wigan, setting up a 4th round clash with either Newport County or Eastleigh.
Manager Erik Ten Hag was pleased with the result, but criticised the lack of clinical finishing that has plagued United this season.
“We are pleased – the job is done. We are happy with the first half performance, the only thing we could criticise at half-time was the score, it should have been 3 or 4.
We worked the ball very good and had a lot of runs behind, but unfortunately we only scored one goal. We look forward to the next [FA Cup game], but first we look back to the Premier League and Spurs.”
Erik Ten Hag speaking after the game
Not a classic but Job done
It was a game that United should win, deserved to win, and did win fairly comfortably. The Latics had a couple of chances, including a big one right at the start of the game, but United were value for the victory.
Diogo Dalot’s excellent curling effort half way through the first half settled United, and although Wigan showed good spirit to create some half-chances in the second half, Bruno Fernandes won a soft-ish penalty (no VAR in League One stadiums!) and converted it coolly. This effectively ended the tie as a contest and United eased off the gas to cruise through to the fourth round.
With 33 chances created and an XG of over 4, the biggest downside for United was that they didn’t put away their chances. There were a few very good performances, but most of the team were 6 or 7 out of 10, which is enough to overcome struggling League One opposition.
Another plus for United was a lack of injuries from the game. Yet another would have been hard to take; United already being down to the bare bones in some positions.
Missed chances frustrate some Reds
Having stood in the away end last night, I did hear some frustration from the travelling faithful, and this was reflected by some on social media.
Rasmus Hojlund was culpable for missing a couple of good chances, Garnacho hit the bar with an excellent dipping effort and Marcus Rashford spurned a couple of chances, as did Bruno Fernandes. United weren’t punished last night, but against Premier League opposition – such as Spurs at the weekend – missing big chances often comes back to haunt you.
It is an area that United have struggled with recently, and one that needs to be addressed if United are to get anything out of this season.
Player ratings and MOTM
Onana: 7. Kept a clean sheet and made good saves the few times he was called on.
Wan-Bissaka: 6. A fairly easy night defensively, didn’t do too much going forward.
Varane: 6. Didn’t have too much to do but looked solid enough.
Evans: 7. Another decent performance, carried the ball forward well to start attacks
Dalot: 7. Solid defensively, supported Rashford on the left going forward and produced excellent finish to open the scoring.
McTominay: 7. Got forward but missed some decent chances and still looks slow to scan and move the ball forward during United’s attacking moves.
Mainoo: 8 & MOTM. Another excellent performance from young Kobbie Mainooo. Calm, composed, strong and intelligent – this lad plays well beyond his years. Get him a new contract!
Fernandes: 7. At the heart of most attacks and took his penalty well after winning it. Spent a lot of time whinging though – give it a rest Bruno!
Garnacho: 8. Nearly scored a screamer on his weaker left foot but hit the bar, and looked very dangerous on the wing all game, especially in the first half.
Hojlund: 6. Worked hard as ever but missed 2 big chances, one of which hit the bar.
Subs:
Willy Kambwala (83′ for Dalot): 6. Looked solid in his ten-minute cameo.
Facundo Pellistri (87′ for Garnacho): N/A
Forson (90′ for Rashford): N/A
Hannibal Mejbri (90′ for Hojlund): N/A
A big test on sunday
United face a much better team at the weekend, welcoming Spurs to Old Trafford, in a fixture that could have a huge impact on out top 4 efforts.
It’s difficult to read too much into the Wigan performance, but creating and missing big chances against Premier League teams rarely leads to success – let’s hope the Reds have their shooting boots on at the weekend.
