FA Cup: Man United beat Derby 3-1

Mata

Mata

Manchester United relieved the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal by beating Derby in the FA Cup fourth round.

Van Gaal dismissed claims he offered to resign after losing to Southampton on Saturday, and his team were more positive against the Championship side.

Wayne Rooney curled in from 20 yards to put United ahead before George Thorne cut through their defence to equalise.

Daley Blind then finished low into the net from Jesse Lingard’s cross before Juan Mata sealed victory late on.

Derby, who have not won a league game in 2016 and are fifth in the Championship, caused problems towards the end of the first half when Thorne latched on to Chris Martin’s delightful through ball.

But that aside, it was a confidence-boosting win for Van Gaal’s team who, after a winless December, have lost once in January and registered a two-goal victory for the first time in 15 matches.

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-Martial helps United rediscover their swagger-

It has been a troubling week for Van Gaal, who has trained his fire on the media and sarcastically said losing to Derby could cost him his job for a fourth time this season.

But in the first half-hour and after the break, United showed the kind of swagger that has been missing in recent months.

Buoyed by more than 5,000 visiting fans, much of United’s improvement centred around Anthony Martial, who captured some of his early season form with a superb performance.

Stationed on the left wing, the 20-year-old caused problems for Derby right-back Cyrus Christie and capped an effervescent display when he set up Mata for the final goal after skipping through the home side’s defence.

With better control, the French forward could have scored either side of Rooney’s clinical finish. Although the United striker appeared offside when he collected the ball, he turned inside before finding the top corner to move within six of Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record 249 goals.

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