Manchester United qualified to the next round of the FA Cup after edging Aston Villa 1-0 at Old Trafford. The Red Devils were under much pressure after the loss to Wolves and simply had to find a way to win tonight. Ralf Rangnick was forced to field almost his strongest 11 in this tie because of the level of the opponent. While the performance was not a relatively convincing one, Scott Mctominay’s early goal proved to be enough to grab the win.
Player Ratings:
1- David De Gea: Made a lot of comfortable saves but has to work on his distribution and aerial presence if he wants to be considered one of the world’s best. 4
2- Diogo Dalot: He’s not a world-beater but he has to start ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Decent today. 6
3- Victor Lindelof: Not the best of performances from the Swede, lacking composure on and off the ball. Almost gifted Watkins an equalizer. 5
4- Raphael Varane: Really solid work at the back but still lacking in the build-up. 7
5- Luke Shaw: Given the freedom to overlap more but not helped by Rashford’s abysmal performance. 6
6- Fred: Energetic as always, provided a great assist for the goal. 7
7- Scott Mctominay: Well-taken goal and did not do much else in the game. 6
8- Mason Greenwood: Had his usual 5 0.01 xG shots per game. Should have given Rashford a tap in. 5
9- Bruno Fernandes: Looked more comfortable playing centrally but still attempted meaningless passes. Gave both Greenwood and Rashford chances to end the game. 5
10- Marcus Rashford: Serious questions need to be asked if he starts the next league game. Another abysmal performance. Needs to be behind Sancho, Greenwood, Lingard and Elanga in the selection. 2
11- Edinson Cavani: Anonymous from him. 4
Substitutes:
1- Donny Van De Beek: Needs more game time. Decent cameo. 6
2- Jesse Lingard: Substituted late on.
3- Anthony Elanga: Offered more penetration in 5 minutes than Rashford in 85.
RR: Decided to abandon the 4-2-2-2 for the trusted 4-2-3-1 but the performance was not convincing. A lot of work to be done. 6
