Manchester United swept aside Shrewsbury Town 3-0 in the FA Cup to keep Louis Van Gaal’s hopes of laying hands on a silverware with United alive. Chris Smalling opened the scoring for visitors in the 37th minute, Juan Mata then extended United’s lead with a well placed free-kick over the wall at the tail end of the first half.
Jesse Lingard then scored in the 61st minute for United to seal the victory and an entry into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they will face West Ham United at Old Trafford next month.
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Here’s how each player fared in the match,
Shrewsbury Town
Jayson Leutwiler – (6/10)
The Shrewsbury shot-stopper made a good early save to deny Martial from close range, however, he was unlucky when Smalling’s shot rebounded his defender and went into the goal. He was helpless as Mata and Lingard scored two more goals later in the match.
Junior Brown – (7/10)
The fullback was one of the few better performers from the Shrewsbury side on the night. While he did good to track down Lingard on some occasions, he showed his attacking prowess too.
Jermaine Grandison – (6/10)
Grandison started the match well and made some important interceptions in the former stages of the match. However, he faded as the match went on and was not able to save his team from a 3-0 defeat.
Zak Whitbread – (6/10)
The central defender was guilty of the foul on Martial which led to Mata scoring the resulting free kick late into the first half. He also failed to keep the United attackers in check for the majority of the match.
Nathaniel Knight-Percival – (5.5/10)
The 28-year-old’s contribution was minimal as he was sometimes left helpless by Martial’s pace and creativity. He was substituted for Larnell Cole at half-time.
Jack Grimmer – (6.5/10)
Grimmer was another decent performer on the night for the hosts after Brown. While he had a below par first half, he raised his game in the second half and showed more courage going forward. He sent in a couple of beautiful crosses but his attackers failed to convert them.
Shaun Whalley – (5/10)
Whalley was given the duty to provide the extra stability to an already bulging 5-man defence. However, he failed miserably in controlling Mata from dictating the play as United went on to win the match.
Ian Black – (5/10)
Black was ineffective in the midfield for a large part of the match. He was not able to prevent Schneiderlin from bossing the midfield.
Abumere Ogogo – (6/10)
Ogogo made some vital tackles and interceptions during the initial stages of the match. He failed to maintain that level later on and was guilty of missing two back-to-back chances late in the match.
Jean-Louis Akpa-Akprove – (5/10)
The French striker had a disappointing outing. He failed to assert his authority and was later taken off for Jordan Clark in the 81st minute
Andy Mangan – (5/10)
Mangan seemed lost and was left isolated up front along with Akprove due to the lack of deliveries.
Substitutes:
Lamell Cole – (6/10)
He was brought on for Knight-Percival at half-time to enhance the team’s attack as Shrewsbury switched from five at the back to four. However, he did not see much of the ball.
Jordan Clark – N/A
He was brought on for Akprove in the 81st minute of the match.
Manchester United
Sergio Romero – (6.5/10)
The Argentine goalkeeper was made to make a few regulation saves in the match. He made a crucial clearance off a Shrewsbury corner late on to keep the clean sheet.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson – (6.5/10)
The young full-back fulfilled his offensive duties perfectly and teamed up well with Memphis on the left flank. He was taken off for 19-year-old Joe Riley at half-time.
Daley Blind – (7/10)
The Dutch defender had a good outing. He made good forward runs to open spaces for the United attackers and was accurate with his passing as well.
Chris Smalling – (7.5/10)
Along with scoring the opening goal for United, the Englishman paired up well with Blind and helped keep his team a clean sheet.
Guillermo Varela – (7/10)
The Uruguayan youngster’s link-up play with Lingard on the right flank was commendable. His work-rate was very impressive as well.
Morgan Schneiderlin – (8/10)
The Frenchman had a great outing, he bossed the midfield and made quite a few interceptions to keep the hosts at bay. Schneiderlin was decisive with his passing and he also assisted Smalling for United’s first goal.
Ander Herrera – (7/10)
Herrera was initially way-ward with his passing but improved his game as the match progressed. He complimented Schneiderlin perfectly in the midfield and also gave an assist to Lingard, who scored the final goal of the night.
Memphis – (7/10)
Memphis showed glimpses of how lethal he can be but lacked the finishing touch in the match. His performance improved after Mata was taken off and he was given a more central role. His link up play with Martial and later on with Perreira was impressive.
Juan Mata – (8.5/10)
Mata was at his brilliant best on the night. The Spaniard was accurate with his passing and his off the ball movements, he played a huge part in majority of United attacks as long as he was on the pitch. The number 8 also scored a sublime free-kick late in the first half to double United’s lead.
Jesse Lingard – (7/10)
Lingard failed to stamp his authority on the match from the word go but slowly grew in stature as the match progressed. He scored the third goal for United, a composed finish, after a glorious ball from Herrera found him in the box.
Anthony Martial – (7/10)
Martial needed some time to get into his own in the match. After that, he troubled the Shrewsbury defence and also extracted the foul which led to Mata’s free-kick goal, however, he missed a glorious chance to score as he headed the ball wide from close range after a brilliant set-piece routine from United.
Substitutes:
Joe Riley – (6.5/10)
The 19-year-old had a decent enough debut for the first team. He was brought on for Borthwick-Jackson after half-time.
Andreas Perreira – (6.5/10)
The Brazilian blew hot and cold but saw a lot of ball after he was brought on for Mata.
Will Keane – N/A
Keane was brought on for Martial in the 71st minute but was taken off soon after due to an injury and United played rest of the match with 10 men.
