Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester United (Casemiro 89′)
CITY GROUND — Manchester United can always rely upon history when the present makes them feel a little glum.
They have reached their 48th FA Cup quarter-final, the most of any club in the competition’s history and drawing them ahead of Everton. Perhaps they are a cup team now. Or is that just an easy excuse for the rest?
The game flowed easily early on, helped by two sides against whom it is possible to find large spaces in midfield when they lose the ball. The first half became a series of breaks in such circumstances, the recalled Antony and Alejandro Garnacho attacking down Nottingham Forest‘s flanks and Divock Origi and Anthony Elanga doing the same to United.
Origi has been used sparingly during his loan spell from Milan, to the extent that some wondered if the deal may be cut short. We know this: he is more of a right winger than Sofyan Amrabat is a left-back. Origi seemed determined to get all his shots in for the season and Forest repeatedly fed him the ball.
Both of these two had been out of form and out of touch defensively on occasion of late, but they were more than prepared to miss chances as well as allow them.
Taiwo Awoniyi leant back on his left foot, Casemiro with his right. Antony hitting the bar was as close as anyone came without scoring; even then he had space and time and clear opportunity.
That reflects not necessarily a lack of talent on the part of any guilty party, but a desperation to succeed. Some matches are played at a frantic tempo because seamless efficiency and technique allows for complex actions to be complete at that pace.
Some offer the same impression because nobody can get a foot on the ball for five or six seconds at a time and keep hitting the ball high and wide.
Even that foolishness faded into tepid mediocrity. That’s easy to explain because it’s the same explanation. Add fatigue to chaotic mess and awry finishing and, inevitably, a decent spectacle gets a little messy.
There were a selection of televised matches available to terrestrial viewers in the UK on Wednesday evening. Anyone who flicked over to another option deserves no blame.
If so, they missed a scruffy goal to win a scruffy tie. Forest’s secret weapon this season is an ability to concede set pieces and then concede goals from them. Bruno Fernandes’ late free-kick looked under-hit and low, but it allowed Casemiro to stoop and get a glancing touch that did for Matt Turner, until then impeccable.
And so Manchester United will face Liverpool with the aim of keeping those trophy hopes alive. One club is pursuing trophies under a great manager taking his farewell tour in front of an adoring congregation.
The other club once did that too. Sir Alex Ferguson’s job was saved with a 1-0 FA Cup win at Nottingham Forest. Erik ten Hag will hope that this is the start of something. Quite frankly, it doesn’t feel like it.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/NQq9X4Z
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