Manchester United sealed their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford in their third-round replay.
Pedro Neto thought he'd given Wolves the early lead only for the goal to overturned by VAR due to a handball in the build-up, and it took until midway through the second half for Juan Mata to score what proved to be the winner. The Red Devils now will face either Watford or Tranmere Rovers in the next round.
Positives
The impetus from Manchester United was to press Wolves at every available opportunity and that allowed them to create plenty of opportunities in comparison to the game at Molineux. In the second half, they were able to box the visitors in really well and force them into errors both on and off the ball.
Negatives
The hosts' decision-making, especially at the back, still needs an awful lot of work -- which was clearly on display with the error at the back which led to Wolves' disallowed goal. There were also periods of the game where it felt like the Red Devils were in a real lull, only surging forward when called upon from the Old Trafford faithful.
Substitute Marcus Rashford was forced off with a back injury and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United supporters will be hoping it is nothing serious.
Manager rating out of 10
7 -- Solskjaer decided to opt for a blend of experience and young talent, and it was clear to see that the objective sent forward from the gaffer was to try and take control of the game early on. While he needs to work on instilling a killer instinct in this side, they were set up well and he showed a lot more activity than usual on the touchline.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Sergio Romero, 7 -- The backup goalkeeper's biggest moment of the game was a low save in the eighth minute from Raul Jimenez. Aside from that, his distribution out to United's defenders and ability to clear his lines was strong.
DF Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 6 -- Clearly had some issues with Adama Traore's pace at times, but as the game went on, he proceeded to control the right flank and edged forward into the attack.
DF Victor Lindelof, 7 -- The Swede's physical presence in the air was both a blessing and a curse for United, but considering some of the poor performances he's had of late, this was a decent showing from him.
DF Harry Maguire, 7 -- The captain isn't showing any lingering signs of injury with his biggest moment coming in the form of a vital 67th-minute interception of Matt Doherty. His one mistake was picking up a needless yellow for a foul on Traore.
DF Brandon Williams, 8 -- The 19-year-old ran at Wolves really well down the left side with several solid bursts of energy. His duel with Pedro Neto throughout the tie was feisty, but he still got the upper hand more often than not.
MF Fred, 5 -- Earned another sloppy yellow card for a poor challenge in the 37th minute and was incredibly fortunate that Wolves' goal was disallowed after his error led to Neto putting the ball in the back of the net.
MF Nemanja Matic, 6 -- It was another gritty midfield performance from Matic who spread himself around the pitch well, controlled the pace of the game and made a few questionable tackles on Traore.
MF Juan Mata, 8 -- He certainly wasn't trigger-shy, letting rip in the 28th and 50th minutes before finally opening the scoring by delicately dinking over John Ruddy following a nice passage of play.
MF Daniel James, 6 -- While he always tends to latch onto loose balls well and drives at defenders, his finishing leaves a lot to be desired. He showed a poor end product here with misses in the 42nd and 52nd minutes.
FW Mason Greenwood, 5 -- The young forward wasn't given a whole lot of service, but when he got his foot on the ball, the teenager's final touch let him down in a big way.
FW Anthony Martial, 7 -- The Frenchman fought hard up top and backtracked more than usual. In the end, he was rewarded with a nice assist for Mata's winner.
Substitutes
MF Andreas Pereira, 5 -- Continues to struggle with his physicality on the ball and looks to be a step behind the rest of United's midfield options.
MF Jesse Lingard, N/R -- Barely made any impact after coming on for the injured Marcus Rashford.
FW Marcus Rashford, 6 -- Pushed forward well upon being introduced but only lasted 15 minutes due to what appeared to be a lower back injury.