Derby County 0-3 Manchester United: 5 players who impressed for the Red Devils | FA Cup 2019-20
Manchester United continued their good run of form, with a 3-0 victory over Derby County at Pride Park, making it nine games unbeaten in all competitions and cruising to the quarter-final of the FA Cup where they would face Norwich City.
This was the third straight season that the two sides clashed in the Cup, with Frank Lampard famously eliminating Jose Mourinho's men at Old Trafford on penalties in September 2018. However, there was no repeat performance this time, with the Mancunians ruining Wayne Rooney's night against his former side.
Luke Shaw got the ball rolling in fortuitous fashion in the 33rd minute and Odion Ighalo made it 2-0 with a well-taken strike before putting the game beyond the home side when he got his brace in the second half.
There were several players who starred in the convincing victory and here, we shall be having a rundown of five players who impressed for Manchester United.
#5 Fred
Fred has been one of the most consistent performers in Manchester United's recent games and the Brazilian put up another fine display at the heart of the Red Devils midfield against Derby County.
The 27-year-old started alongside Scott McTominay and was easily one of the best players in a red shirt, combining effectively to curb the threat posed by Wayne Rooney and Louie Sibley for their Championship opponents.
Although United's superior possession meant that they were rarely threatened, the home side fashioned some brilliant team moves to drive at Sergio Romero's goal but Fred was almost always on hand to halt their surge.
The former Shakhtar man completed 88.5% of his passes and made three tackles before his substitution for Anthony Martial in the 73rd minute.
Also Read: Rooney hopes teenage team-mates can learn from Man Utd defeat
#4 Scott McTominay
Having been sidelined with an injury since December, Scott McTominay's presence in midfield was sorely missed. Despite not being the most technically gifted player, the Scottish international makes up for this with his passion and commitment to the United cause.
He marked his return to the starting lineup with an excellent goal in the 5-0 demolition of Club Brugge in the Europa League and put in another fine shift at the base of midfield.
Against the Rams, McTominay completed a game-high 98.2% of his passes, while he also contributed five tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance to help his side keep a clean sheet.
#3 Sergio Romero
A glance at the scoreline would suggest that Derby County were good value for the defeat and while they were by far second-best in front of their fans, the Championship side deserved to score at least a goal for their efforts.
They fashioned some good chances in the game but always met a brick wall in the person of Sergio Romero who was on hand to thwart everything that came his way.
The 33-year-old pulled off two fine saves to keep out freekicks by Wayne Rooney, while he also kept out Max Bird, Jason Knight, and Jack Marriott to keep the error-prone David de Gea on his toes.
Also Read: United untroubled as Rooney gets tributes but no triumph at Pride Park