United’s road to the FA Cup quarter final

Manchester United face off against an old and familiar rival tomorrow evening in Arsenal at Old Trafford with a place in the semi-finals of the F.A Cup the reward for the winner. United’s path to this quarter final showdown may on paper seem rather easy, but in truth it has been a lot tougher than expected with a few scares along the way.

Round 3 – Yeovil Town (a)
(Result 0 – 2)

Louis Van Gaal’s first ever game in this historic cup competition was a trip to Huish Park to take on League One side Yeovil Town. Unimpressive in the first half, the manager made some changes which included taking off star striker Radamel Falcao for Angel Di Maria early in the second half. However the match changed and was arguably won by a moment of brilliance from midfielder Ander Herrera, as his stunning strike on the turn outside the box midway through the second half broke the deadlock. Di Maria added a second in stoppage time to send United safely into the next round.

Round 4 – Cambridge United (a)
(Result 0 – 0)

This was a game that upheld the tradition that goes with the F.A Cup. It is a competition that every year the phrase “that’s the beauty of the F.A Cup” can be heard and this was the game for that as lowly League Two side Cambridge held the star studded Manchester United, that could not break down the resilient U’s. Cambridge’s reward was a trip to Old Trafford in the replay.

Replay – Cambridge United (h)
(Result 3 – 0)

Despite an almost disastrous start to the game that saw Cambridge hit the woodwork, United made little work of the underdogs in this replay, aided by two quick fire goals in the middle of the half from Juan Mata and Marcos Rojo. Substitute James Wilson added a third in the second half as United progressed to the fifth round.

Round 5 – Preston North End (a)
(Result 1 – 3)

Manchester United didn’t have far to travel in the round of 16 as a Lancashire derby was on the agenda, with the opponents once again coming from the lower leagues. League One’s Preston rocked United with a goal very early in second half to make them dream of a huge and memorable upset. Changes in personnel and formation proved a key factor in the comeback as Ashley Young’s introduction with Marouane Fellaini playing up front, improved United’s play and broke down Preston with goals from Ander Herrera and the impressive Fellaini. Wayne Rooney added a penalty late on to secure the victory and a mouth-watering tie with their North London rivals.