Manchester United have advanced through to the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.
A superb Diogo Dalot goal was enough for the victory in Lancashire and Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United will now face Eastleigh or Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Red Devils advanced to the final of the competition last season but lost out to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who went on to win a treble.
Here are five things we learned from United’s victory against their EFL League One opposition.
Diogo Dalot exceptional again
As the season goes on and the Portuguese defender continues to perform, the clamours will grow over the former FC Porto defender being in the running for the club’s Player of the Year award.
It was such a nonchalant effort from the left-back that flew into the corner and it was a special moment for the defender, who scored a similar goal against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane earlier in the season.
Dalot has consistently been a dangerous cog for the Red Devils in an attacking sense and has seemed to found a different, more consistent, dimension to his game.
He was once again superb for the Red Devils.
Mainoo a class apart
Kobbie Mainoo, the teenage midfielder continues to pull up trees for the Red Devils and the 18-year-old was, ironically, covering for his midfield partner Scott McTominay who struggled.
Mainoo brought calmness into the midfield and made one or two brilliant tackles on the night and was unfortunate to not have his name on the scoresheet after his effort from the edge of the box was saved by the Wigan goalkeeper.
After just two months in the first team, Mainoo is a fundamental cog in this team and Ten Hag deserves credit for bringing him into the starting 11. He cannot be dropped under any circumstances.
Hojlund’s profligacy
After his first goal in the Premier League against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, this looked to be the kickstarter at Old Trafford for Rasmus Hojlund but it was another frustrating evening for the Dane.
He had ample chances to score at the DW Stadium but missed some guilt-edged chances. A delicious cross from the right-hand side by Alejandro Garnacho was thundered against the bar by Hojlund and he somehow scuffed an open goal effort wide of the post.
He is getting the chances to score but his clinical nature in front of goal remains elusive.
Fernandes nets for the Red Devils
It was certainly a controversial decision to award a penalty for United after Bruno Fernandes went down in the box softly but the Portuguese midfielder stuck it away.
It wasn’t just the goal that was well-taken but the former Sporting Lisbon midfielder was very creative for the Red Devils. He played five key passes for the Red Devils on the night and was superb throughout.
He has come in for criticism this season but performances like tonight, when there was pressure on his manager, certainly make him a popular figure amongst the United fanbase.
United win eases pressure on Ten Hag
After the 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, the pressure looked to be reaching breaking point for the former Ajax boss.
However, a win here won’t ease that pressure on the Dutchman but a deep run into the competition, or winning the trophy, would ease those doubts.
A vital home game for United against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday will go a long way to deciding the Dutchman’s future but a win on a tough ground like the DW Stadium will certainly help.
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