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Manchester United began their FA Cup campaign with a victory as they beat Reading 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fielded a much-changed eleven, which gave many of the players a rest after a busy December. Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez started the game. Young midfielders Andreas Pereira and Scott McTominay were given a run and so were Sergio Romero and Matteo Darmian.
United opened the scoring in the first half, albeit with a little help from VAR. Juan Mata was judged to be fouled in the box, which ruled out Fred's goal but gave his side the penalty. Mata duly dispatched the spot-kick to give his side the lead.
Lukaku made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time when he latched onto Sanchez's perfectly weighted through ball. Sanchez did hobble off injured later, which is definitely a worry. Solskjaer handed youngster Tahith Chong his United debut and he was received warmly by the home crowd.
Reading did play their brand of football but failed to make an impact. All in all, it was a comfortable win for United. Here are the major talking points from the game.
#5 The pattern of play surprisingly dominated by Reading
The Old Trafford would have expected territorial dominance against Reading, but that was not to be. The visitors had their say in the match, albeit without springing up any sort of upset.
Reading's ball possession was 59.5% in the game, which was significantly more than their opponents. Their passing accuracy of 84% was higher than that of United's as well. They completed 585 passes to United's 400 and had more efforts on goal as well. United, on the other hand, lost the ball more times and committed more fouls.
The Reading midfielders John Swift, Liam Kelly, and Andy Rinomhota were comfortable on the ball, knocking it about with great confidence. Old Trafford clearly did not faze them. The full-backs also bombed forward, contributing to the attack. Reading put in a good performance, but the lack of goals couldn't turn it into a special one.
#4 Clinical United take their chances
Reading had 13 efforts on goal in the game whereas Manchester United had eight. Both the sides had 5 shots on target. But it was the home side which took their chances and dispatched their two biggest chances to wrap up the game.
Juan Mata converted the penalty after the referee consulted with the VAR in the first half. Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time when he rounded off the goalkeeper to slot into an empty net. United didn't create a host of chances, but they took the ones which mattered.
Reading also created more chances, but the quality in the final moment was lacking. United, on the other hand, were much more clinical. It was a lesson for the Royals, who should have taken their chances like their hosts to garner any hopes of an upset.
#3 Reading lacked quality in the final third
If one kept the goals aside and looked at the rest of the game, Reading would have clearly emerged as the better side. They had the majority of possession and created more in the final third. But the incision in the final moment was lacking, and that ultimately turned to be their downfall.
The likes of Callum Harriott and Danny Loader had chances but failed to take advantages. Harriott, in particular, had great opportunities, but he took on the shot when the pass was the beneficial option. Right-back Andy Yiadom also had an impact, but he failed to make the best of the positions he got into.
Reading created 10 chances to United's seven, and also had more shots than their opponents. But the composure around the penalty box was lacking. If only they had taken their chances, a different outcome was highly likely.
#2 John Swift shows promise in a mixed performance
Playing in the 'number 10' position for Reading, Swift was one of the better players for his side. He was instrumental in Reading's passing play, helping them to keep possession in the opposition half. A stage as big as Old Trafford did not faze him and he controlled the game from a Reading perspective.
Swift constantly picked up intelligent positions, accessing both ends of the pitch. The Chelsea youth product is technically gifted and only one player on the pitch touched the ball more times than him. On the other hand, a lapse in concentration gifted the ball to United, out of which the second goal was scored.
Despite the mistake, he can take confidence from the game. The Englishman is still 23 and his talent can certainly take him to greater heights in the near future.
#1 Solskjaer is making history already as United manager
After the win against Reading, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became only the second Manchester United manager to win his first five games in charge. The only other person to achieve this milestone was Sir Matt Busby.
United have looked like a different force since Solskjaer's arrival. They have scored 16 goals in the five games thus far, a number which they scored in Jose Mourinho's last 11 games. It is looking as though the hunger and desire are back, and so are the smiles at Old Trafford.
Now Solskjaer's reign is a temporary one, so comparisons with the likes of Busby are a long way off. But he could not have asked for a better start to life as United manager. It's still early days, but signs are promising for him.
