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Final score: Manchester United 2-0 Derby County
Goalscorers: Jesse Lingard 84', Romelu Lukaku 90'
Manchester United left it late against a resolute Derby County side and ended the night with a ticket to the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to the latest of a collection of spectacular strikes from Jesse Lingard and a statement of a goal from Romelu Lukaku in the dying embers of the game.
However, it wasn't as straightforward as the scoreline seems to suggest. Gary Rowett's men were willing to beaver away and pushed United to whip out the best they had. Well, push came to shove and Jesse Lingard, United's unlikely hero of recent times, who has quite a cult following in certain quarters, whipped out a trademark special something from outside the area to tip the scale in United's favour.
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Lukaku would later toil side by side with Tony Martial to snuff out all hopes of the travelling Derby faithful and book a seat in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Here are the 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Manchester United experimenting and easing into their new identity
A combination of various factors was gauged and it was declared that Paul Pogba is now free to do whatever he wanted. Except for he wasn't really. Nah, I wouldn't agree. Not until now at least, that is.
When playing in a 2 man midfield with Nemanja Matic, Pogba can get a bit lost in the middle of the park not being able to make ends meet. But with this classic old mixtape that United seems to have unearthed in Lingard, United have found a sweet tune to dance to.
Paul Pogba started out on the left and caused problems for Derby County with his precise passing and the deft ol' drop of the shoulder on one too many occasions. United are well and truly free-flowing once they get into the groove and though they couldn't score for the first 84 minutes, it wasn't for lack of trying.
Mkhitaryan was largely quiet but still facilitated swift movement of the football in the attacking half as Lingard and Paul Pogba called upon each and every attacker to contribute.
Finally, United seem to have a blueprint going forward. Or, it at least looks like there's some order to that chaos for now.
#4 Derby County take their free hit warmly
Well, Manchester United have lost only twice in their last 44 matches at the Theatre of Dreams. The only team they have surrendered to at home is Pep Guardiola's juggernaut, those Citizens.
So Derby were right in feeling lighter on their backs coming into the game as not much was expected of them. But Gary Rowett's men did not come to Old Trafford to park the bus, oh no! They came with a purpose and that was to push the Red Devils to put their nose to the grindstone and they executed the plan well for most parts of the game.
United were definitely the better team on the night after having created more clear-cut chances but Derby weren't without their chances. United's old lad Tom Lawrence was a constant source of angst going forward. Sam Winnall and Olsson had the best chances but their final product lacked the quality that was stocked to gills in the build-up.
Huddlestone kept things steady in the centre and Alex Pearce, along with Richard Keogh did the same at the back. The wingbacks also put in a shift as they kept United trying and testing their technique on more than a dozen occasions, but to no fruition.
#3 United lack sharpness in front of goal and it nearly cost them
Marcus Rashford, who played in 3 different positions had 3 clear-cut chances to put United ahead. First, he headed the ball into the right post from 5 yards out before giving catching practice to Carson from 7 yards out.
Rashford would later hit the other post to round off a tense spell of attacking football from United and it looked like it could just be one of those nights for Jose Mourinho's men.
Paul Pogba came close to scoring twice-- first from a sparkling freekick which Carson saved exceptionally well and then with a left-footed strike that fizzed past the post. Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata also came close to scoring but United were denied comfort for the greater part of the game.
Manchester United will need to finish off their chances if they are to close the gap in terms of quality, and in terms of quantity of goals if they want to keep pace with their dominant neighbours. The chances are really not at a premium and it could very well stay that way owing to all the quality Mourinho's men have to offer going forward.
But on a happy note, Romelu Lukaku looks all sharp to get into the thick of things. He bagged an assist as he set Lingard up for the first. He controlled a Pogba clearance like a dolphin and then darted past a defender before engaging in a neat exchange with Martial to seal the deal for United.
#2 Scott Carson is quite something
Scott Carson had to deal with some real quality tonight and he proved he wasn't in unfamiliar territory amidst overwhelming company with some top saves. He started off by denying Juan Mata's effort from a set-piece right outside the area.
He then flung himself into the air to deny Pogba's effort off a freekick from 30 yards out. Carson made more saves against Rashford and Lingard before a worldie from the latter shattered his world in the 84th minute.
The 32-year-old has been in sensational form and would be even more frustrated with leaking the second goal after almost having it covered and getting a touch on it.
If he goes on like this, Carson could actually make a case for a spot in the England squad that will travel to the World Cup in Russia this year.
#1 What is Jesse Lingard on?
Oh my, almost £300m spent on reinforcements and it's the homegrown boy who's stepped up to give new feel and direction to a United team that looked clueless just a few weeks ago.
All that bitterness from Jose that we are so happy to reciprocate and all these improved players under Pep etcetera, etcetera. But just how important has Jesse Lingard come to be in this new-look Manchester United team? How much better has he become under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho?
He is at the heart of everything fresh and delightful about United going forward. With every passing day, the initial doubts are fading and we are starting to see a player who has developed nearly every aspect of his game and is starting to look like United's best player on the pitch, and that too on a consistent basis.
Remember, this is a team that features a Paul Pogba working at his prime. Jesse Lingard's decision making is helping United break through defences, his direct running is upsetting defensive organisation and more than anything, his boots are giving birth to some absolute worldies.
The way he's going, we're soon going to have to have a poll to choose which was Jesse Lingard's goal of the year.
