Match Report: Manchester United 3-1 Reading
Saturday night soon became Brazilian samba night at Old Trafford in Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round clash with Reading, with The Red Devils beating the visitors 3-1 courtesy of Casemiro’s delightful double and Fred’s fantastic flick in the second half.
Eyebrows were raised prior to kick-off as supporters saw that Erik ten Hag was not taking the competition lightly; Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen all featured in the starting lineup despite having played excessive amounts of football of late, which was a true indication of the manager’s desire to win the match against the Championship visitors.
Although United dominated the first half, the home side never managed to find the breakthrough. Rashford thought that he had headed in a record-breaking tenth consecutive goal at Old Trafford towards the end of the half, but Wout Weghorst was deemed to have been offside in the making of it.
Antony, Fernandes and Weghorst all had opportunities of their own inside the first forty-five, but none could capitalise.
It was the visitors who ended the half with the chance to take the lead. Tyrell Malacia controlled a cross under the illusion that he had all the time in the world, but Junior Hoilett dispossessed the Dutchman and shot towards goal. Fortunately for Malacia, David De Gea was there to bail him out.
The second half took a different tone to the first and it was Casemiro who broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. The Brazilian made a clever run in behind the defence on the right-hand side and was slipped in by fellow countryman Antony with a cute pass before dinking his side in front as goalkeeper Joe Lumley went to ground.
Casemiro was the unlikely provider once more just four minutes later. Fred- off the bench- switched it to the midfielder in the middle of the park, and with no options to pass to, he took matters into his own hands with a drilled effort that flew into the far corner, aided by a small deflection.
The Reds enjoyed some cruise control when Andy Carroll made a stupid, clumsy tackle in 65th minute in the middle of the park to justify a second yellow card, not too long after picking up his first.
Fred was involved once more a matter of sixty seconds later when he turned home Fernandes’ cross with a cheeky back-heal flick, reminiscent of Nani’s in the Champions League against Bayern Munich in 2009/10.
The Royals did have a consolation goal in 72nd minute when Salif Mbengue found himself free in the area to head home from a corner, but a consolation was all it was for Paul Ince’s men.
Facundo Pellistri, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Elanga and Kobbie Mainoo had all entered the fray by that point, but United never threatened much as the changes rung from both sides, and it was Ten Hag’s men who progressed into the fifth round.
Final Score: Manchester United 3-1 Reading (Casemiro 54’ 58’, Fred 66’) (Mbengue 72’)
Man of the match
Antony won Emirates Player of the Match on ITV’s coverage of the tie after one of his best games yet in terms of involvement, but it is hard to look past Casemiro for Man of the Match after another stellar showing.
The 30-year-old scored two great goals in the space of four minutes to take the game away from Reading early in the second half.
It was the showing you would expect from the former Rea Madrid man given the opposition at hand. He kept the ball moving alongside Eriksen in the midfield, progressed it well to the forwards and did not give the visitors hardly a sniff from a defensive standpoint.
Casemiro continued to ooze his class on Saturday night, and happy fans are truly becoming accustomed to it.
The bigger picture
Ten Hag took a risk before the game by going with a strong side. There was a credible argument to say that none of Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes, Antony, Rashford and Weghorst should have featured given the frantic fixture scheduling.
With that being said, the risk more or less paid off. The only worry is that Eriksen left Old Trafford post-match on crutches following a hefty challenge from Carroll. It is understood the Dane is waiting on MRI scans today.
Although, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez both got a rest. Varane has now had two consecutive games off, which can only be seen as a positive with his injury record. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof started, and the pair barely put a foot wrong across the ninety.
It was good to see Pellistri, Garnacho, Elanga and Mainoo all get some minutes. It has to be said though, those four lads cannot be relied on week-in, week-out, yet. Each have their qualities, each have their pitfalls, and it would not be wrong to say that Garnacho is ahead of the rest, but another attacking player surely has to come in, even if the deal is a loan. The Reds are competing on four fronts now.
Speaking of which, it is another competition that United have progressed in. The greatest opportunity for some silverware here and now has to be the Carabao Cup given the circumstances in the competition, but the FA Cup will not be taken lightly by Ten Hag who opted for a strong side today, much to the bemusement of fans and pundits.
The opportunity to rotate surely has to be utilised next Wednesday, with United three goals to the good against Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the League Cup.
What is next?
Next up for Ten Hag and United is Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, taking place on Wednesday 1st February at 20:00 (BST).
After that, it is another home clash, this time in the Premier League, with United welcoming Crystal Palace on Saturday 4th February at 15:00 (BST).
