FA Cup: Manchester United 1-0 Sheffield United - 5 Talking Points
Wayne Rooney’s late penalty saw Manchester United advance in the FA CupWayne Rooney's stoppage time penalty spared Manchester United's blushes and secured their berth in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Despite dominating possession for the majority of the game, it took until the 68th minute before the home side could get a shot on target.Sheffield United, who had defended resolutely for much of the game, were denied an opportunity to take the game back to Bramall Lane as a poor challenge in stoppage time resulted in a penalty that was converted by the English captain.Here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 Memphis Depay makes the difference
Sometimes, when the game is tight and the opposition have every player behind the ball trying to stop you from scoring, all you need is one substitution to make the difference and change the complexion of the game.
And that is exactly what happened as Louis van Gaal brought on Memphis Depay and Jesse Lingard in the second half to replace Juan Mata and Ander Herrera. As two old-fashioned wingers, they provided width and stretched the Sheffield United defence.
Memphis, in particular, brought his A-game and took on defenders at every opportunity and gave the defence something different to deal with. It was no surprise to see that it was the Dutchman who took on the defender in stoppage time and eventually drew the challenge that led to the penalty that was converted.