Manchester United 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: 5 Men who were brilliant for the Red Devils | FA Cup Replay 2019/20

Manchester United secured a hard fought victory over Wolves

Manchester United welcomed Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Sunday for the 3^rd round FA Cup replay. The Red Devils were heading into the game after an imposing 4-0 win over bottom-placed side Norwich City over the weekend. 

However, Wolves had become a daunting proposition for the Red Devils in recent times, as United had failed to win a game against them since Solskjare had taken over the reins of the club.

As such, the Norwegian had a bit of a personal agenda to fulfill on Wednesday. 

The F. A. Cup also represented a chance for United to get their hands on silverware this season. This was why despite a tough away trip to Anfield on Sunday, Solskjaer decided against making too many changes to his first eleven. 

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The Norwegian made just 3 changes to the team that won comfortably against Norwich; he brought in Sergio Romero in place of David De Gea and put Daniel James and Mason Greenwood in the attack in place of Andreas Pereira and Marcus Rashford, both of whom started from the bench.

Manchester United started the game well but also endured regular onslaught from the visitors, who looked to hit the home team on the counter. Both sides had chances to score in the first half, but the game went into the break with the score 0-0.

In the second half, United took the lead through Juan Mata in the 67^th minute. Wolves pursued an equalizer until the last minute of the game but came up short. The game showcased a matured performance from the Red Devils and Solskjaer will be extremely pleased with the performance of these 5 men, who were brilliant for the Red Devils

#5 Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire marshaled his defense well

The Englishman has been a calming presence at the back for United since his arrival, even though fans are still skeptical about him. United have sorely lacked a leader at the back for the last couple of seasons and Maguire has been a welcome change in that regard. 

The Englishman continued to adorn the armband against Wolves and was stellar at the back for his team once again. Even though the visitors were guilty of some lackluster finishing in the final third, whenever Wolves knocked at the door, Maguire stepped up and dealt with the situation well. 

The speed of the Wolves frontline caused him a few problems though, but the Englishman marshaled his defense with authority to ensure that the visitors came up short always. After his team took the lead, Maguire was the composing figure that pushed the team ahead and kept them compact, defending as a unit and ultimately securing victory. 

Maguire won 71% of his aerial battle and also registered a 75% tackle success rate. He ended the game with an 89% passing success rate.

#4 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (R) dealt with the threat of Adama Traore well

The Englishman has been one of the key features of this United team this season and has consistently performed well for the Red Devils since making the move from Crystal Palace in the summer. Against Wolves, Wan-Bissaka had to deal with the tricky Adama Traore on the pitch and the youngster matched toe to toe with the Spaniard for the majority of the game.

Traore did manage to get past him on a couple of occasions, but the Englishman responded brilliantly and ensured that the Spaniard failed to make a telling contribution to the game. Wan-Bissaka was also important when United ventured forward, combining well with Mata and keeping Saiss pegged back for most of the game. 

The Englishman’s speed and tackling ability came in handy as the home side secured a hard-fought 1-0 win on the night. The Englishman attempted 6 tackles with a 67% success rate and also managed one interception in the game.

#3 Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams put in another stellar shift at left-back

Brandon Williams’ stocks have been on the rise in recent weeks and the youngster gave another reminder of his abilities against Wolves on Wednesday. With Luke Shaw injured again and Ashley Young’s future still under doubt, the youngster had a clear run at the left-back role in the team at the moment. 

However, Williams has earned the right to be United’s first-choice left-back after back to back impressive runs for the first team and against Wolves too, he was on the top of his game. The Englishman displayed his trademark attacking instincts and regularly ventured forward to join his attackers. 

Even though United were caught out due to his adventurous spirit more than once, the youngster managed to drop back and was rock solid on the left side of the backline. Williams showed great positioning and awareness on the pitch, which was the reason why he was not dribbled past even once in the game. 

He even won 3 aerial battles in the game and displayed strength and maturity beyond his years in the box while dealing with the Wolves attack.

#2 Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial (L) was impressive once again

Back among the goals over the weekend, Anthony Martial was already on double figures for the season and was steadily progressing towards his best-ever goalscoring return from his inaugural season. Against Wolves, the Frenchman had to adjust with a change in personnel around him, but it did not affect his overall gameplay.

Martial was strong with the ball at his feet, displayed quick feet and nimble footwork in the final third and brought Mason Greenwood and Daniel James into the game. He combined well with Mata and his hold-up play was excellent at times. Without the ball in his feet, he had the urgency that has been a welcome addition this season.

The Frenchman completed all of his 4 dribbles and registered a game-high 4 key passes on the night. And in the 67^th  minute, he had the composure and awareness to spot Mata’s diagonal run ahead on him. Martial sent the Spaniard free, who went on to score the only goal of the game.

#1 Juan Mata

 

Juan Mata scored the only goal of the game

Juan Mata is enjoying a resurgence of sorts of late. The Spaniard was outstanding over the weekend against Norwich City, running the show for the Red Devils and picking up 2 assists in the game. Against Wolves, he continued in his right attacking position and was easily the pick on the United players on the night.

The Spaniard registered 3 shots in the game, all of which were on target, which highlighted the threat he carried on the night. He ended the game with a 91% passing success rate and also registered 2 key passes. Mata’s composure and football brain were crucial as United set up a frontline which consisted of youngsters. 

The Spaniard ably guided his younger teammates and his movement and ability to pick up pockets of spaces around the box gave the visitors nightmares. When United kickstarted a counter-attack in the 67^th minute, Mata saw an opportunity to split open the opposition. 

He timed his run to perfection, picked up Martial’s through ball and arrived with two Wolves players breathing down his shoulders. He noticed that the opposition goalkeeper was rushing out of his line to close the Spaniard down and then had the composure to gently lift it above him to give his team the lead. 

It was the goal that sent United into the 4^th round of the F. A. Cup.

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