Player Ratings as Man Utd Secure FA Cup Fourth Round with 2-0 Victory over Wigan

Manchester United successfully steered clear of an embarrassing FA Cup upset on Monday night, succeeding against League One team Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. This result paves the way for their fourth-round journey to face either Newport County or Eastleigh in the latter part of January.

The Red Devils' performance was somewhat wasteful in terms of goal-scoring opportunities during the match, however, they were saved when Diogo Dalot broke the impasse with his 22nd-minute goal. Following this, Bruno Fernandes solidified their position with a penalty in the second half, which had been won after Liam Shaw's dramatic dive.

This result helps to keep the Red Devils' 2023/24 hopes for silverware alive. They now face a showdown with either Newport from League Two, or National League's Eastleigh later this month for a place in the fifth round.

Prior to kick-off at the DW Stadium, a classic Monkees track 'I'm a Believer' rang out, signalling the start of the final FA Cup tie of the third round excluding replays. Wigan exhibited their hunger for the win by creating the game's first key opportunity, recognising that victory would mean a trip to face Newport or Eastleigh.

Strong teamwork from Sean Clare and Martial Godo down the right side of the pitch led to Thelo Aasgaard's back-post position. Despite the good start by Wigan, Manchester United took over, testing Wigan's goalkeeper Sam Tickle with a low shot by Marcus Rashford, resulting in a defensive save.

Dalot's cross nearly led to a Scott McTominay conversion from a good position, but this didn't matter in the long run as the Red Devils took the lead through a goal from Dalot shortly afterwards.

Dalot was found by Alejandro Garnacho's cross which narrowly missed Rasmus Hojlund, and then curled the ball into the goal from the box's edge, settling the team.

Wigan's momentum began to wane and they only made it to half-time with a 1-0 deficit due to Manchester United's frustrating missed opportunities. Wigan's goalkeeper almost scored an own goal from another Rashford shot, but he managed to deny Hojlund with a reflex save.

Hojlund missed the opportunity to score from point-blank with a header, and Garnacho followed this up by hitting the woodwork after he took a long shot from 22 yards out.

The second half was a similar story with United continuing to dominate in terms of possession. High-quality scoring chances continued to slip through their fingers, failing to double their lead even with great teamwork from Fernandes and Hojlund.

Manchester United were in danger of allowing Wigan the chance for a late comeback due to their careless misses. However, their anxiety eased when Fernandes was awarded a penalty. The foul may have been slight, but Shaw's rash challenge allowed the United captain to increase their lead by successfully deceiving Tickle from the penalty spot.

Any threat Wigan posed vanished after that 74th-minute goal. Despite a stoic and disciplined performance from manager Shaun Maloney's team, they walked away empty-handed.

Following a loss at Nottingham Forest last time, this win marks a return to success for United. Erik ten Hag aims to take his team further in the FA Cup than last season, when they lost to local rivals Manchester City at Wembley.