Man Utd survive Newport scare to book place in FA Cup fifth round - 6 talking points
NEWPORT COUNTY 2-4 MANCHESTER UNITED: Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund helped book the Red Devils' place in the FA Cup fifth round for the ninth time in 10 years
Manchester United booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round after surviving a scare to beat Newport County 4-2 and set up a trip to Bristol City or Nottingham Forest.
Erik ten Hag's side began on the front foot and deservedly took the lead in the seventh minute when Bruno Fernandes fired the ball into the corner. United continued to dominate and it didn't take them long to double their advantage as Kobbie Mainoo struck his first goal for the club.
United had an abundance of chances to put the game to bed, but were punished for their wastefulness as Newport mounted a comeback. The League Two side pulled a goal back through Bryn Morris' long range strike, before Will Evans levelled to send the home supporters into raptures.
However, the Red Devils dampened the mood inside Rodney Parade as they retook the lead in the 68th minute. Antony tapped home from close range to score his first goal of the season. Newport pushed to grab a late leveller, but United sealed the victory in stoppage-time thanks to Rasmus Hojlund's clinical finish. Here are six talking points from the match.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford missing from Man Utd squad to face Newport days after nightclub visitREAD MORE: Scott McTominay details tough Jose Mourinho conversation the day he was sacked by Man Utd1. Antony nets rare goal
It has been a long time coming, but Antony finally grabbed a goal and an assist for United after he set up their opening goal against Newport, before finding the net himself.
Antony hadn't directly contributed to a goal for the Red Devils since Saturday 13 May - 260 days and 24 competitive matches - but he broke that drought at Rodney Parade. Antony's assist for Fernandes was only his third in 67 games since moving to United from Ajax for £86million in August 2022.
Then in the 68th minute, Antony scored his first goal of the season. The 23-year-old tapped home from close range after Luke Shaw's curling shot hit the post. It was a composed finish from Antony, who stayed calm to prod into the back of the net with his weaker right foot.
2. Mainoo scores first United goal
Having cemented himself as an important member of the United first team squad, Mainoo scored his first Red Devils goal against Newport. It was a terrific finish from the 18-year-old, who swept the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after Diogo Dalot pulled the ball into his path.
Mainoo made his first Premier League start in the 3-0 win over Everton in November and he has been a positive spark in a disappointing campaign for United so far. The teenager, who was part of United's FA Youth Cup winning side in May 2022, has now started in United's last seven matches.
3. Newport fightback
After going 2-0 down inside the opening quarter of an hour, it could have been easy for Newport to crumble and allow United to run away with the match. Although Ten Hag's men had opportunities to score a third, Newport found a route back into the game in the 36th minute.
A long ball was headed out to Morris, who took a couple of touches before volleying the ball from around 25 yards into the bottom corner. It was a fine strike from Morris, though replays showed it took a deflection off Lisandro Martinez's head before cannoning off the post and beyond Altay Bayindir.
This lifted the sell-out Newport faithful inside the stadium and they completed the comeback moments after half-time as Will Evans struck his 19th goal of the campaign. Aaron Wildig's loss cross was diverted towards goal by Evans and the ball trickled into the net via a deflection from Raphael Varane.
4. Crackling atmosphere
Having faced Manchester City, Tottenham and Leicester among others in recent times, Newport fans have become synonymous to facing Premier League opposition. However, it felt as though Sunday's clash against United was bigger for many reasons.
One is that Newport boss Graham Coughlan is a boyhood United fan and was at Wembley to watch the Red Devils lift the Carabao Cup last season. Another is simply the size and stature of United, who have won the FA Cup on 12 occasions but haven't lifted the famous trophy since 2016.
As the players walked out of the tunnel, the atmosphere was crackling and the Newport fans got behind their players from the first whistle. Although United did their best to quieten down the crowd, the home faithful were awoken when Morris scored, before Rodney Parade was sent into raptures as Evans equalised.
5. Fifth round awaits United
Next up for United in the FA Cup will be a fifth round trip to Bristol City or Nottingham Forest, who will go head-to-head in a replay at The City Ground after a goalless draw at Ashton Gate on Friday.
United haven't faced Bristol City since losing 2-1 in the Carabao Cup quarter-final in December 2017, while Ten Hag's side were beaten by Forest in the Premier League last month.
6. Rashford illness
Marcus Rashford did not feature for United at Newport due to illness. The 26-year-old was absent from the travelling squad and instead stayed at the club's Carrington training complex to train and recover.
United said in a statement: "Marcus Rashford is not well enough to be in the squad for Newport following illness; he has stayed at Carrington to train as he recovers." Boss Erik ten Hag described Rashford's absence as an "internal matter".
The development comes after Rashford went to Belfast in midweek to visit a nightclub. He was in the Thompsons Garage nightclub in the capital city of Northern Ireland on Thursday night and returned to United on a private flight on Friday morning.
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