FA Cup 2016/17: Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Athletic, Player Ratings
Manchester United reached the fifth round of the FA Cup with a convincing victory over Championship side Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford. Marouane Fellaini opened the scoring for the holders with a header from six yards, before second-half goals from Chris Smalling, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Bastian Schweinsteiger reflected the difference in quality between the two sides.
Also read: FA Cup 2016/17: Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Atheltic, 5 Talking Points
Here are the player ratings from an exciting game at Old Trafford:
Manchester United
Sergio Romero – 6.5
He had a couple of difficulties in handling crosses which could have resulted in Wigan goals, but made two important saves in the first half and maintained his clean sheet.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah – 7.5
The youngster starred when given his opportunity by Jose Mourinho, making a number of purposeful runs down the right flank. He delivered a pinpoint cross in the first half, only for Mkhitaryan to miss the target from close range.
Chris Smalling – 8
He was tested by the tall Dan Burn during set-pieces in the first half, but had a largely untroubled second period. He gets the extra ratings for his goal in the 57th minute to give United breathing space.
Marcos Rojo – 7
Rojo had a comfortable outing, keeping Will Grigg at bay and neutralising Wigan’s counter-attacks.
Luke Shaw – 7.5
Making his first start since returning from a groin injury, Shaw had a productive game, making overlapping runs and putting in teasing crosses.
Marouane Fellaini – 6.5
He broke the deadlock during testing times for United, but there was no real flow to his game while he was operating in the heart of midfield. He was, however, useful in dealing with the Latics’ set-pieces thanks to his aerial prowess.
Bastian Schweinsteiger – 8.5
Schweinsteiger reminded everyone that he still has a pivotal role to play at Manchester United despite a long injury layoff and competition for places. After a rusty start, he began to dictate play for United from defensive midfield. Wigan’s tiring players corresponded with the German pressing further up the pitch to help carve them open. An assist for Fellaini’s opening goal and an overhead kick late in the game were the perfect rewards for an excellent performance.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 8
Apart from fluffing a great opportunity to put United 1-0 up in the first half, Mkhitaryan’s performance was yet again impressive. He was immense in the attacking third, skipping past players and creating goal-scoring opportunities at will. He combined well with Martial to finish off a counter-attack and seal the result in United’s favour.
Juan Mata – 6
Mata seems to be experiencing a lean period, as he was unable to display his vision to create chances in the Wigan half.
Anthony Martial – 8
Martial’s performance was admirable and characteristic of a player fighting to keep his place in the team. He was seen making attempts to cut in from the flank and also float balls into the box to test the Wigan defence. His cross for Smalling’s goal was inch perfect, so was his low cross for Mkhitaryan to tap in.
Wayne Rooney – 6
Rooney could not make a significant impact on the game apart from stringing together a few passes around the box in a period of United domination.
Substitutes:
Axel Tuanzebe – 6
Making his Manchester United senior debut, Tuanzebe made a couple of decent overlapping runs at right-back to test the experienced Stephen Warnock.
Ander Herrera – 7
Herrera came on to see the game out and he did that job exquisitely, moving the ball around confidently. He even managed to provide the assist for Schweinsteiger’s overhead strike to shut the door firmly on Wigan Athletic.
Joel Castro Pereira – N/A
Castro was also given his debut by Mourinho, replacing Romero for the final few minutes.
Wigan Athletic
Jakob Haugaard – 4
He failed to make a single save the entire game in what was an extremely poor display on the night.
Callum Conolly – 5.5
Apart from a fierce shot on target in the first half, Conolly had a forgettable game, struggling to track Martial or Shaw and getting beaten in the air too easily by Marouane Fellaini to concede the first goal.
Jake Buxton – 5
Buxton had a solid first half, but was unable to cope with mounting United pressure in the subsequent periods of the game.
Dan Burn – 6
The 1.98m defender gave Smalling a stern examination during Wigan’s set plays, but was restricted to a helpless figure in the second half.
Stephen Warnock – 6
Warnock used his experience in the first half to shut out any United attacks from the left, but his age caught up with him as the likes of Fosu-Mensah and Tuanzebe began to dominate that part of the pitch.
Shaun MacDonald – 6
MacDonald sat in front of his defence and was mostly disciplined in the first half, not allowing United’s playmakers to make that killer pass. Like most of his teammates, however, maintaining that level of performance against United for 90 minutes was a step too far.
David Perkins – 6.5
Perkins had a good 60 minutes, dribbling past the likes of Shaw and Mkhitaryan and finding spaces to run into in the United half. He was replaced by Wildschut in a desperate attempt to add some pace into Wigan’s play.
Max Power – 6.5
Power’s long-range shot was moving in the air and kept Romero guessing in what was one of Wigan’s better chances. He was industrious in the first half, making quickfire passes in an attempt to make a breakthrough. However, he was forced to resort to thankless defending duties against a wave of United attacks in the second half.
Sam Morsy – 7
He was easily Wigan’s best player on the pitch, making interceptions and tackles aplenty to frustrate United on various occasions.
Michael Jacobs – 6
Jacobs played a vital role in initiating Wigan’s counter-attacks, but could not quite force the end product.
Will Grigg – 5
The striker had no attempts on goal, as he was well marked by Rojo throughout the game.
Substitutes:
Yanik Wildschut – 5
The Dutch winger was sent on to inject some pace into Wigan’s withering attacks, but was often dispossessed and could not create any meaningful chance.
Ryan Tunnicliffe – 4
The Manchester United academy graduate came on for the last 20 minutes, but could not stamp any real authority on the game.
Marcus Browne – 5
The teenager made no impact on the game after replacing the more defensively minded Shaun MacDonald in a last-ditch attempt to salvage something for Wigan.