Manchester United hosted Reading in the FA Cup 3rd round tie on Saturday afternoon and Jose Mourinho started with a second string side with Rooney, Martial, Young, Smalling and Faillani getting their chances in the starting lineup. Rooney took just 6 minutes to open the scoring and equal United’s all time goal scoring record with Sir Bobby Robson. Rooney than turned provider as Martial scored United’s second of the day and pretty much put the tie to bed.
Manchester United 4-0 Reading Highlights
[Emirates FA Cup 2017 3rd Round Match ]
07′ 1 – 0 Wayne Rooney scores his 249th goal for United which takes him equal to Sir Bobby Robson. He needs one more to become outright United all-time goal scorer.
15′ 2 – 0 Anthony Martial made it 2-0 in 15th minutes with a neat finish after Rooney produced a superb pass inside the box.
75′ 3 – 0 Marcus Rashford scores late in second half to put the tie to bed as United cruised through to the fourth round of FA Cup.
79′ 4 – 0 Marcus Rashford
Match Highlights (English)
Reading boss Jaap Stam was a former United player who left the club after treble winning season to join Lazio. He will return as Reading manager and sure to get a big reception at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho will be hoping to do well in this competition but we can safely assume FA Cup is not the priority for United this season as they are in semifinals of League Cup, playing knockouts of Europa League and back in contention as far as top four finish is concerned.
Team News & Possible Lineups: Mourinho has one eye on that EFL Cup semifinal game against Hull City and season defining Premier League game against Liverpool next week which means we can expect fringe players to get a chance this Saturday. Eric Bailly is off to Africa Cup of Nations while means United has a dilemma to pick the starting lineup. Wayne Rooney might get the nod upfront with Rashford, Mata and Lingard playing in attacking roles. This is how I expect both teams to lineup.
Match Predictions: United are currently on a run of 7 consecutive wins in all competition including 6 in the league. If they can double this run they can put themselves into a great position heading into the later stages of the season. Reading are a decent side but this United team has got their mojo back and we can expect another super performance from United. I am going with 3-1 home win in this one.