January 11, (THEWILL) – With an early goal by Scott McTominay against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, Manchester United advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Yet, Ralf Rangnick’s side finished second-best on the night and Villa will be left wondering how they failed to punish a hapless opponent.
As THEWILL reported, the hosts did not have Cristiano Ronaldo, but they did not have to wait long for a goal when McTominay connected with a tantalising cross from Fred. It was a goal that Villa manager Steven Gerrard would have been disappointed with.
Villa threatened to retaliate fast. Danny Ings blasted barely wide, while Ollie Watkins was unable to alter his body in time to turn in the ball at the far post. John McGinn also stung David de Gea’s gloves with a long-range power drive.
Then again, Bruno Fernandes delayed his final pass too long, leaving Edinson Cavani with a too narrow-angle to beat Emiliano Martinez, and United wasted a chance to double their lead.
Watkins turned Victor Lindelof inside out but smashed an effort off the crossbar and Villa came near again through Jacob Ramsey, whose deflected shot just missed the target.
But, as shaky as United’s possession was, they were still a threat moving forward, and could save had more than one goal in the match but for Martinez, who used a strong wrist to deflect Luke Shaw’s drive and then held on to a twisting volley from McTominay.
When Ings climbed in from close range to start the second half, United were fortunate to get away with some poor set-piece defending. A lengthy VAR review was necessary before referee Michael Oliver decided to reconsider a possible foul on Cavani in the build-up and ruled the goal out.
Watkins then had the ball in the net after barely any time had passed, but it was again ruled out due to a raised offside flag against Ings.
In a repeat of recent weeks, Villa continued to dominate and United became increasingly poor as the second half progressed. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford were particularly disappointing. When they were ultimately substituted in the closing stages, neither player appeared happy.
The game ended with United progressing, but the performance simply adds to the continuing query about the team and the needed improvements that are not forthcoming.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
