Manchester United vs. Reading: Score and Reaction from 2017 FA Cup

Wayne Rooney became Manchester United's joint-highest goalscorer on Saturday after his opener helped the Red Devils clinch a 4-0 win over Reading and advance to the fourth round of the 2016-17 FA Cup.

Captain Rooney equalled Sir Bobby Charlton's club-record tally of 249 goals, per OptaJose, before Anthony Martial added a second, and Marcus Rashford's second-half brace capped a one-sided display:

Reading were outclassed by their Premier League opponents as former United centre-back and current Royals manager Jaap Stam endured a return to Old Trafford he might sooner forget.

Rashford started in attack so manager Jose Mourinho could rest Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while goalkeeper Sergio Romero came in to replace David De Gea. Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling featured in central defence for the hosts, while former Red Devil Tyler Blackett—sold last summer—lined up at left-back for the guests.

Saturday's triumph sealed United's eighth successive victory, with 2017 off to a bright start:

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Rooney-inspired United continue their winning run  pic.twitter.com/4E0xTfe5a3

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) January 7, 2017"

Familiar faces Blackett and Stam could have hoped for a happier beginning upon making their way back to the Theatre of Dreams, too, as Rooney quickly turned their visit into a nightmare.

Seven minutes were all that were needed for the United captain to succeed with one of the home side's first forays forward, and BT Sport captured the moment his clever volley helped ease the pressure:

Reading centre-backs Liam Moore and Joey van den Berg looked horribly out of their depth in the opening exchanges, and it was the pace and dribbling of Martial that soon highlighted the gulf in quality between the two teams.

The France international bore down upon Ali Al-Habsi's area to deliver a sumptuous second after a quarter of an hour, converting an acute, curling shot inside the Reading stopper's far post:

That was all the first half delivered in terms of goals, but United should have been three or four to the good going in at the break, particularly after Rashford had a handful of one-on-one chances of his own against Al-Habsi. Moore had Reading's best chance of the half but couldn't glance a low shot across the box past Romero.

One setback for the hosts came in the form of Rojo's 19th-minute injury—centre-back Phil Jones came on as his replacement—but MUTV pundit David May summed up a relentless opening period from Mourinho's men:

Reading coped slightly better with their Manchester mauling after the restart, limiting United to just the one real chance after Michael Carrick had an effort beaten away from range.

After teeing up Rooney's breakthrough, Juan Mata also came close on the hour mark, but he grazed the side of the net after thinking he had beaten the offside trap, only to be pulled back for straying past the last defender.

Mourinho will have been pleased with the calm performance he saw from his side, but there was a chance Reading could climb back into the fixture as United appeared more at ease in the second period.

That was until a superb lob forward from Carrick found Rashford, who finally came good and put the ball away to Al-Habsi's right, bagging his first goal since late September in comfortable fashion.

The Reading goalkeeper was left stranded for that third strike, but Al-Habsi was the only one to blame for Rashford's second barely a minute later, when he attempted to be too smart for his own good too close to his own net:

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Timothy Fosu-Mensah came on for Mata and Carrick, respectively, between those third and fourth goals, but the final 10 minutes were something of a formality for the new arrivals thanks to the one-sided scoreline.

This was a return to the United of old under new manager Mourinho, dispatching smaller opposition in the confident manner they should be, with faces old and young contributing, as is club tradition.

Saturday's win gave United their eighth successive win across all competitions, not to mention their 14th consecutive match unbeaten, showing the strides they're finally making under Mourinho this season.

They'll wait with bated breath to see who they'll come up against in the fourth round of this term's FA Cup, while Reading will divert their attention toward Championship matters in an effort to return to the top flight.

Post-Match Reaction

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

While a 4-0 trouncing of Reading may not live on in the memories of many Manchester United fans, one figure sure to relive the fixture is record-equalling Rooney, fresh from his landmark performance.

It's been 13 years since the former Everton starlet blazed on to the scene at Old Trafford, and he told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport) what it meant for him to tie the record of club legend Charlton:

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It is a proud moment. To do it at such a massive club like Manchester United, I am hugely honoured and it is really proud moment for me. It was not something I could have imagined. You don't think that far ahead, but I have been at this club a long time, it is a huge part of my life and it is an honour to be up there alongside Sir Bobby. 

You want to do records in front of your home fans and we have got two home games coming up and hopefully I can get the next one in one of those.

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Manchester United icon Stam will remember the result for far different reasons, and a lack of aggressiveness was pointed out by the Dutchman as a major flaw in Reading's approach:

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It is certainly a lesson for my team. You have got to start aggressively against a team like this, otherwise they will make you pay. We started better in the second half, possession-wise, but we do not create many chances. But credit to the opposition they have a lot of quality, skill and speed up front. You learn something from the movement of their players.

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Mourinho, on the other hand, was left with a smile on his face thanks to the win, although even he couldn't help but demand more of Rooney:

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A more special day will arrive. It was great but I want one more goal! He is an amazing guy in the group and we all want him to do that. To have Wayne as the top scorer in a club like this is magnificent for him.

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