Manchester United went to Wales and, despite major concerns, won as planned against Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday evening.Â
It was noticed quite immediately that the class difference between the teams was large. Just as it should be if there are two divisions in between.
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring with a distinctive finish after United found their way down the left flank. A few quick passes and a wall play later they were through Newport’s defence, a pattern we saw quite often.
It didn’t take long for the lead to be doubled for United, this time through Kobbie Mainoo for his first first team goal. A beautiful one with the right broadside after nice preparatory work by Diogo Dalot.
What surprised me a little was the home team’s energetic and high pressing game. It can of course be a consequence of high adrenaline and wanting to show the right attitude considering the dignity of the opposing team, but it is also a way to go away.
As I said, United could often play through and out of Newport’s pressure with a few passes and then have oceans of surface. Had the sharpness been better, it should perhaps also have been 3-0 at the break and the match would have been deadlocked. Instead, the home team’s Bryn Morris got a free kick, which caressed Lisandro Martinez’s head and then found his way behind Altay Bayindir in United’s goal. It felt very unnecessary.
The end of the first was another signpost for where it barked in the second half. It only took a couple of minutes before the equalization was a fact and that energy and the high pressing game that should have been punished paid off instead.
But the real worry wasn’t there yet, at least for himself. The players realized it was time to pull themselves together and play the match. A rematch would have felt incredibly sour actually.
Antony, of all players, came to the rescue and headed in Luke Shaw’s post return and then the feeling was that they would row the victory. All said and done, even the invisible Rasmus Højlund thought and poked in a goal to make it 4-2.
Rating scale:Â 1-10, where 4 is lousy, 5 is poor, 6 is passable, 7 is good, 8 is very good, 9 is fantastic and 10 is unearthly good.
Altay Bayindir: 6
Debut between the posts today and had to drop two. Couldn’t do much to ward off the goals, but the overall impression of Bayindir was still a bit weak. Feels unsure with his feet sometimes but with his hands he does what he has to after all.
Diogo Dalot: 6
1 assist. Good control of the stuff along the right edge, although a pass that leads to a goal comes from there. Moves offensively and assists Mainoo nicely. Would probably have enjoyed Garnacho better instead of Antony.
Raphaël Varane: 6
Exchange 90+7. Dominant in a lot of ways and doesn’t really have any major problems individually. Needs together with Martinez to take greater responsibility when United are pushed back
Lisandro Martinez: 6
Substitution 88′. It’s nice to have Martinez back in many ways. One of the main ones is his security with the ball and fantastic left foot that can create situations out of nothing sometimes. However, the collaboration with Varane needs to be filed away.
Having Martinez back in the back line is positive in many ways.
Luke Shaw: 6
Substitution 82′. Involved in two of the goals up front and gives security to the left edge with his presence. Didn’t always feel fully connected and sloppy a bit at times.
Casemiro: 5.5
Substitution 81′. Warning. Also one who was careless, above all in the passing game where he was weak in parts. On the other hand, it gives Mainoo greater freedom to move forward. Because even if Casemiro is far from peak form, he is a very competent midfielder unlike some others who should not play in that position.
Kobbie Mainoo: 6,5
1 ml. Many 18-year-olds would probably have problems in midfield against stubborn Brits with limited football intellect. Not Mainoo. He stands up physically and with the ball he constantly finds ways to play his way out of situations. Also got to score his first goal in the United jersey!
Bruno Fernandes: 7
1 ml. Nice collaboration with Antony at the 1-0 goal and a distinct shot to end the attack. Creates a lot and constantly tries to find passes forward of the pitch. Best on the field without major competition.
Fernandes scores the lead goal for United.
Antony: 6
Substitution 88′. 1 assist. 1 goal. Speaking of sprawling. Antony certainly does not make it easy for us. One moment the brass stands for a brilliant action, only to look like a raven player the next. The goal drought was finally broken today and he also got in with an assist. The numbers save him today.
Alejandro Garnacho: 5
Sometimes appreciated. Sometimes frustrating. Today Garnacho was the latter.
Rasmus Höjlund: 5
1 mål. The Dane continues to be totally meaningless to the general public, but goals are always goals for a forward.
Scott McTominay: n/a
Substituted 81′. Played too short a time to be rated.
Willy Kambwala: n/a
Substituted 82′. Played too short a time to be rated.
Omari Forson: n/a
Substitution: 88′. Played too short a time to be rated.
Harry Maguire: n/a
Substituted 88′. Played too short a time to be rated.
Jonny Evans: n/a
Exchanged 90+7. Played too short a time to be rated.
Erik ten Haag: 6
Put out basically the best team and it was probably the right way to go, with hindsight. It was a sweatier event than expected, which it would not have had to be if the sharpness was better with some players. Just that is not the case at Ten Hag. That the changes came late was also not unexpected when the match was so tight.
