Manchester United are into the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Red Devils have started the oldest football competition with a 1-0 win against Watford at their Old Trafford. It was a game decided early on, when Scott McTominay scored the only goal, with his header getting the most out of the first set-piece United had in this match.
Man United Have Problems Despite Early Goal
Manchester United needed just five minutes to get the lead and after McTominay’s early goal, it felt like this could be a much easier game for the Devils. With Watford set to play more open, it was to be expected for United to have an easier job against them and to maybe even score another before half-time. But that never happened. United were missing some creativity they were so used to having when Bruno Fernandes would be on the pitch and also, this match felt much duller than anyone would have predicted considering the early lead. Man United were the better team, but just about enough so they did not need to work too hard.
Solskjaer Picks A Homegrown Team
It was always going to be interesting to see just how much Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will decide to rotate. Manchester United played against Manchester City just recently and there have been a lot of matches for them in the past few weeks. And Solskjaer decided to make the most out of this match. Six homegrown players started against Watford – Dean Henderson was in goal, Brandon Williams and Axel Tuanzebe were in defence, Scott McTominay captained the team, while Jesse Lingard played behind Mason Greenwood.
We also got to see Donny van de Beek get a chance in the starting lineup, showing his intelligence on and off the ball, making 11 ball recoveries in the process, further complementing this rotated team. With so many changes in the team, any win is a good win.
Bailly Cannot Catch A Break
Eric Bailly seems to just be one of those players who do not know what luck is. Every single time, just when the Ivory Coast international starts getting back to full form and becoming a player Man United can rely on, an injury derails everything. It seems like Baily just cannot catch a break from all kinds of injuries and against Watford, it was a concussion. Bailly wanted to stay on despite the head blow, but the doctors had to take him off. He is just so unlucky and hopefully these injuries will be past him at some point.
Rested Team Ahead Of Big Week
Manchester United have done well to get to the next round with a rotated team and now a big week will be ahead for the Devils. On Tuesday, Manchester United will be visiting Burnley in a Premier League match that could further solidify Solskjaer’s team at the very top of the Premier League standings. Also, next weekend will see United meet Liverpool at Anfield in a clash that has not seemed so important in a while. Players like Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and others got some much needed rest and hopefully they will be itching to keep United in winning form.
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