Derby 1-3 Manchester United : 5 Talking Points

Manchester United survived an initial scare to see off Championship side Derby County at the iPro to progress to the fifth round of this seasonâs Emirates FA Cup and ease some of the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal. Wayne Rooneyâs sublime finish after 16 minutes put the visitors ahead, before George Thorne equalised for the Rams by latching on a beautiful chip pass from Chris Martin. They nearly went ahead via. Martin at the end of the first half, only to be denied by a magnificent Chris Smalling tackle just as he was about to pull the trigger.The second half was all United though, with Anthony Martial running the show on the left wing and Jesse Lingard creating a plethora of chances on the right. Daley BlindâÃÃÃÃÃÂs side-footed finish past Scott Carson from a driven Lingard ball and a Juan Mataâs one-touch finish after some good work by Martial wrapped up the tie for the Red Devils.We look at the five talking points that shaped up an entertaining game at the iPro stadium:

#1 Wayne Rooney is a man in form

United’s players celebrate Wayne Rooney’s opener

Heavily lambasted for his poor performances up front for Manchester United, Wayne Rooney seems to have re-discovered his past with the turn of the new year.

His brilliant curled strike into the far corner to open the scoring for United made it 6 goals in as many games in 2016– a run which showed that the 30-year-old still possesses the instincts of a lethal striker.

Derby County’s defenders may have been guilty of sitting off Rooney for that goal, but the quality of the finish was enough to suggest that he was back to his belligerent best. It is absolutely imperative that the skipper extends this run of goal-scoring form if he has to lead his side to a strong finish to the season.

#2 Stephen Warnock\'s first-half performance inspires the Rams

Stephen Warnock’s impressive performance inspired Derby County to have a go at Manchester United

With Manchester United controlling the game for large periods, it was crucial that Derby’s back four kept their composure and defensive organisation intact. The standout amongst those four was 34-year old left-back Stephen Warnock.

A number of key interceptions to interrupt the link-up play between Guillermo Varela and Jesse Lingard, a brilliant clearance from two yards to deny Wayne Rooney and some impressive pressing down the wings in the latter stages of the first half to test the inexperienced Varela inspired his side to move the ball forward against a Manchester United side guilty of giving away possession in midfield on a number of occasions to give the opposition a chance to break and test David de Gea in goal.

#3 Chris Smalling\'s defensive error allows Derby to equalise

Chris Smalling’s aberration allowed George Thorne to go one-on-one with David de Gea and equalise for Derby

For a player who has had an amazing season thus far, it was very uncharacteristic of centre-back Chris Smalling to leave a void at the back, leading to Derby County’s equaliser and a nervous last few first-half minutes for Louis van Gaal’s side.

After losing out on in aerial duel with Chris Martin, his decision to chase the ball rather than leaving that job to the left-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and re-occupying his position at centre-back proved to be a costly one, as midfielder George Thorne found the space to run through the United defence and latch onto a chip through-ball from Martin to find himself in a one-on-one situation with David de Gea. Smash and grab. 1-1.

With Manchester United’s season very delicately poised, Smalling must be careful not to commit similar errors in the future if his side want to maintain a run of good form until the end of the season and save Louis van Gaal from the sack.

#4 Marouane Fellaini sloppy in midfield

Yet another unimpressive performance in midfield by Marouane Fellaini

It was another average outing in midfield for Marouane Fellaini, whose sloppy passing to the wingers on either side and failure to find that incisive ball to open up the Derby County defence was painful to watch and raised doubts over his quality as a Manchester United player.

He may have got away this time around thanks to low-key opposition, but with key Premier League and Europa League fixtures coming up and Bastian Schweinsteiger not close to a return anytime soon, Louis van Gaal must find a way to motivate the Belgian and get him to become more influential in midfield if his team are going to create more goal-scoring opportunites.

#5 Anthony Martial runs the show on the left-wing

Anthony Martial made it a horror night for Cyrus Christie

Football may be a team sport, but it is mostly individual brilliance that shapes a game in a team’s favour. That accolade went to Anthony Martial on Friday night, as he simply outclassed right-back Cyrus Christie throughout the game with his fleet-footedness and ease with which he slalomed past him in every duel.

His successful dribble past Christie in the 85th minute to set up Juan Mata’s goal saw the fullback fall to the floor, showing that he had admitted defeat and was no match to the Frenchman’s skill and intensity throughout the game.

His link-up play with Mata and Rooney in the Derby penalty area caused problems for their centre-backs too. Had it not been for their lack of finishing touch, United might easily have romped through the tie by a margin higher than just 2 goals. A memorable night fnd a performance which suggested that the future promises bright prospects for Anthony Martial.