United Beyond Manchester

Manchester United are through to the FA Cup Quarterfinal after stealing a late goal against Nottingham Forest. Casemiro’s header provided United with a much needed result after the Fulham match. We walk through the events below and analyze performances from the away side.

First Half Analysis

Manchester United had a big chance in the 3rd minute off of a brilliant set play. A short corner was played back to Bruno Fernandes, who slid the ball across the box to the onrushing Antony for a strike. Unfortunately, the ball hit the top of the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.

United were the aggressors in the early going, and another big chance came in the 7th minute. Diogo Dalot found the head of Scott McTominay, but the Scottish international flicked it straight to Matt Turner.

Nottingham Forest’s best attacks in the first half came down United’s left side. Sofyan Amrabat struggled while playing out of position as a left back and was repeatedly beaten for pace.

Dalot was the stand-out player for the Reds in the first half. He created chances, beat players off the dribble, and read the game well. In a back line that looked shaky, Dalot was the exception.

While Nottingham Forest had more chances in the first half, Manchester United created the better opportunities. Despite the chances, neither team found the back of the net, and the score at halftime stayed 0-0.

Second Half Analysis

Forest started the second half lively and created a big chance four minutes in. Elanga latched on to a through ball and played Awoniyi into a shooting position. Awoniyi got the shot away but only managed to hit it down the middle.

The home side was in again just two minutes later after Divock Origi shrugged Casemiro off but also hit it straight at Andre Onana.

After the two Forest chances, the match slowed down, and neither team created anything for a large chunk of the half. Bruno Fernandes and Antony created half-chances in that period, but neither truly tested Matt Turner.

Erik Ten Hag was the first to blink, and Amad Diallo came on as he replaced Antony in the 71st minute.

The first opportunity for United in the second half did not come until the 81st minute. Marcus Rashford got in behind on a ball from Fernandes but blasted it far over the bar.

Despite not creating many opportunities and not playing particularly well, it was Manchester United who took the all-important lead in the 88th minute. Bruno Fernandes put a cross into a great area, and Casemiro made no mistake as he headed the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper. A VAR check ensued for a possible offside, but the goal stood.

Manchester United ran out the rest of the clock, and Onana was not tested in stoppage time. The 1-0 result was massive after a miserable weekend against Fulham, and it gives United something to take into the Derby against City at the weekend.

Player of the Match

Casemiro scored the winning goal, but Diogo Dalot gets the Player of the Match award from me. Dalot was positive out of the back and created a few great opportunities for Scott McTominay in the first half. Dalot’s crossing has become a real asset for United, and that was no different today. On the defensive side, Dalot was solid and tracked back well when Forest attacked down his side.

Player Ratings

Andre Onana: 7 – Made a few saves and kept an important clean sheet
Diogo Dalot: 8 – United’s best; created chances and defended well
Victor Lindelof: 5 – Clean sheet and a yellow card
Raphael Varane: 6 – Shaky at times but
Sofyan Amrabat: 4 – Poor playing out of position and was sloppy in possession
Casemiro: 6 – Scored the winner, but was left in the dust a few times
Scott McTominay: 5 – Was not able to take two great chances but attacked well
Bruno Fernandes: 6 – Not his best day, but his cross for the winner was brilliant
Antony: 6 – After taking a lot of heat, put in a decent performance and was lively
Alejandro Garnacho: 5 – Not his best day
Marcus Rashford: 3 – Was non-existent playing out of the middle

Amad Diallo (On in the 71′): 5 – Looked rusty and wasn’t able to contibute
Jonny Evans (On in Stoppage Time): Too late to rate
Kobbie Mainoo (On in Stoppage Time): Too late to rate

Looking Ahead

Manchester United will travel to the Etihad on Sunday for a massive Manchester Derby. United need to come out of the Etihad with points to stay in the race for top 4.

Before today’s Fifth Round tie, the Quarterfinal draw saw United picked to play Liverpool in the next round. We would have hoped for an easier tie and an FA Cup North-West Derby will be a challenge. This match will be played on either March 16 or 17.