Yeovil Town vs. Manchester United: Score, Grades and Reaction from FA Cup
Manchester United stumbled to a difficult victory in the southwest of England as they beat Yeovil Town by 2-0, with an Ander Herrera thunderbolt and a sweet finish from Angel Di Maria proving the difference.
United started the match by fielding a strong side, with Wayne Rooney and Radamel Falcao both taking their places in the team.
Partnering El Tigre was young prodigy James Wilson, who came into the side with Robin van Persie rested.
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United looked out of sorts for the opening gambit of the game, neither being able to dominate a poor Yeovil side nor show their superior technical ability.
The Red Devils had an army of travelling fans backing them, and as they out-sang the home opposition, Rooney and company were unable to raise their game.
Football writer and Manchester United expert Andy Mitten commented about the crowd participation, noting his surprise at the Yeovil supporters:
As the first half progressed, Yeovil looked more comfortable in possession and territory.
Louis van Gaal's side looked uncomfortable with Yeovil's long-ball game and were dragged out of their comfort zone by the League One side.
United's central midfield of Herrera and Darren Fletcher were wholly ineffective, with ESPN's Musa Okwonga commenting on the pair's average performance:
The first half ended goalless, with Yeovil the happier of the two sides. The look on Van Gaal fully explained his concern at how the match was panning out.
And Van Gaal made changes during the break, bringing off both his wing-backs in Rafael and Luke Shaw—who had failed to get forward and be a threat—replacing them with Jonny Evans and Juan Mata.
The switches facilitated a change of tactics for the Old Trafford team as they reverted to a more attacking 4-4-2 diamond.
Bleacher Report's Jerrad Peters seemed bemused by the change of tactics from the United bench:
Despite the substitutions, it was Yeovil who nearly claimed a shock lead on 54 minutes. The ball fell kindly to Kieffer Moore, but the striker fluffed his lines in front of goal, and David de Gea extinguished the chance.
United's reaction to Yeovil's opportunity was to bring on the returning Angel Di Maria—the British record transfer player—who replaced a disappointing Falcao.
ESPN FC's Michael Cox criticised Yeovil's Moore—who had earlier clashed heads with Paddy McNair—after his solitary miss and suggested the League One outfit should replace the striker with an attacking switch:
But with ADM's introduction, United began to probe with more authority and guile.
On 63 minutes, the Red Devils finally broke the deadlock after a spectacular strike from Herrera.
Rooney and Fletcher managed to supply the ball across the outside of the penalty area, and Herrera's wonderful swivel and shot smashed into the top corner of the Yeovil net.
World Soccer Talk captured the moment on social media:
Yeovil then attempted to drive their way back into the game, upping the tempo of their attacking play. They nearly grabbed an equaliser on 70 minutes when Di Maria's last-gasp header kept the ball out of the United net from a set-piece corner.
However, United's midfield diamond was clearly more effective than their first-half efforts in the centre of the pitch, with Rooney becoming more influential and Di Maria giving Van Gaal the true threat of pace in his side.
And the presence of the Argentine helped keep Yeovil at bay with the contest winding down in United's favour.
ADM announced his arrival back in the side after injury, being played through on goal by Rooney and finishing with aplomb in the 90th minute, killing the tie.
Van Gaal will have been concerned with how difficult his side made matters during the game, but he will be relieved to still be in the competition. Yeovil will be pleased with how they played, especially in the first half, and will feel they represented themselves well against a strong team.
United now progress to the next round and will feel the FA Cup is their one true chance of winning a trophy during this season.
Selected Player Ratings
Ander Herrera: B-
After a difficult start to the game where Herrera failed to jell with Fletcher and Rooney, the Spaniard improved greatly in the second period—scoring a wonderful goal to break the deadlock.
The former Athletic Bilbao midfielder looked more comfortable in the diamond in the latter parts of the tie, allowing him to break more forward and be more progressive.
Kieffer Moore: C-
Moore almost became the hero for Yeovil with his second-half chance but was unable to truly work De Gea in the United goal.
The striker worked hard for most of the match, though, despite taking a nasty bash to the head in the first half.
Wayne Rooney: C+
It was a strange match for the England captain, who failed to settle into the match until the second half.
Rooney's first touch was off-kilter for most of the first 45 minutes, and he seemed unhappy with the ball at his feet.
But the United skipper recovered his game and was influential in Herrera's strike.
Post-Match Reaction
Henry Winter of The Daily Telegraph quoted Van Gaal after the game praising Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera, who had a rare opportunity to start in this cup game.
LvG described Herrera as "class" and praised his magnificent strike.
The manager also praised Yeovil for their overall performance and spoke about the magic and romance of the cup:
United rode their luck at times today but as the game progressed their superior Premier League fitness began to manifest itself and influence the final 15 minutes.
The game was also a very useful run out for Di Maria who looked sharp and motivated.
The FA Cup is a special competition for United and kept the club's hopes afloat in the pre-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
LvG will be hoping that the trophy can spearhead a new generation of success at Old Trafford.
