Wasted many opportunities but Man Utd still won easily 2-0 at Wigan in the third round of the FA Cup. The “Red Devils” will face either Newport County or Eastleigh in round 4.
Wigan has never been a worthy opponent for Man Utd. Ten Hag’s team created a superior match on the opponent’s field, gaining control of the ball 67% of the time, launching 33 shots, 14 times the ball hit the target. With 33% of possession, Wigan had 9 shots and only 2 times the ball hit the goal.
Man Utd pushed up the attacking squad after the opening whistle, the away team quickly dominated the game and created the finishing touches. In the 22nd minute, Dalot decisively shot from outside the penalty area and sent the ball into the right corner to open the score. Having the lead, Man Utd played quite comfortably in the next period.
In the 72nd minute, the referee gave Man Utd a penalty because Fernandes was fouled in the home team’s penalty area. Wigan players reacted fiercely, claiming that the away team’s captain fell and pretended to earn a penalty, but the match did not have VAR and the referee’s decision remained unchanged.
On the penalty spot, the Portuguese player successfully made a shot to double the score. Man Utd ended the match with a 2-0 win and won the right to continue to round 4. Although they won, Ten Hag’s team did not satisfy the fans.
What stood out in the match at DW Stadium was the extravagance of Man Utd players. Rashford, Garnacho, Hojlund, the away team’s attacking trio wasted many scoring opportunities. Among them, Rashford had 8 shots, Garnacho, Hojlund had 4 shots, the total number of shots of the three people was nearly half of the Man Utd team, but they did not score.
Wigan did not show much at home even though they had 9 shots. However, the home team at DW Stadium caused very few difficulties for Man Utd, they were not able to create a turning point to be able to defeat the opponent. So even though the away team wasted many opportunities, it was simply that Man Utd missed the opportunity to win a big victory.
Before Man Utd’s match at Wigan, the FA held a draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup. The lucky draw makes Man Utd breathe easy, Ten Hag’s army will face the winner between Newport County and Eastleigh. This match will have to be replayed in round 3 because in the match at Newport Stadium, the two teams drew 1-1.