Manchester United qualified for the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford last night.
Rangnick, speaking after the game, was delighted with his team’s response to last week’s dismal performance in a 1-0 loss to the Wolves.
As reported by the club’s official website, he said:
“I think we showed a reaction after the Wolves game, that is what everyone expected from us. We knew it would be very difficult against Villa. In the first half, I thought we did well. It could have been 3-2 or 4-3 to us at halftime.”
“In the second half we were on the counter-attack and we could have made more of those situations. We took the wrong decisions at times but when we changed to a diamond in midfield we had more control. In the last 20 minutes, we had more control. We fought well as a team together when it was important. In the end, it was a good win. That was our goal, to proceed to the next round.”
Ralf Rangnick’s team started with a lot of enthusiasm and desire, which has been missing from recent games, and they were rewarded on eight minutes when Scott McTominay put them ahead.
Fred, McTominay’s midfield partner, took up the ball on the right side of the area and delivered a fantastic cross into the area, which the Scotland international expertly headed beyond Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
Man United’s defensive shakiness has been a recurring issue this season, and it has now reared its ugly head. After a flick-on from a corner, Villa attacker Ollie Watkins blasted a close-range shot just wide before the England international pounced on a weak touch from Victor Lindelof and slammed against the crossbar from close range.
Just before the break, the Red Devils almost went two up, but Marcus Rashford squandered a chance to play Mason Greenwood in for a tap-in at the back post, instead scuffing a feeble effort that was blocked by Matty Cash.
After the second half began, Villa looked to be the better of the two teams, and Danny Ings appeared to have levelled the score. The striker’s tap-in from a free-kick, though, was ruled out.
Soon after, Watkins placed the ball into the net after David de Gea had a touch on an Ings strike, but VAR would step in and rule the goal out for offside.
Greenwood then forced Martinez into a solid save after being passed through down the left by Bruno Fernandes on what was becoming increasingly rare attacking moves for Man United.
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Over the course of the 90 minutes, Steven Gerrard’s side was by far the better of the two teams, and they continued to apply pressure until the final whistle, though they were unable to create any more clear-cut chances, and United held on to earn the right to face Middlesbrough in the fourth round.
