Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Tuesday told “wasteful” Manchester United to be “more clinical” after they edged into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 win against West Ham United.
Solskjaer’s side were well below their best in a scrappy fifth-round tie at freezing, snow-dusted Old Trafford.
However, a fine finish from Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay ensured that the hosts advanced to the last eight for a seventh successive season.
Photo: AFP
Manchester United last won the FA Cup in 2015-2016, and McTominay’s third goal in three games kept them in the hunt to lift the trophy for the 13th time.
After the frustration of the late Everton equalizer that dented their English Premier League title challenge on Saturday, this was an essential result to lift the mood at Old Trafford.
However, it was hardly an eye-catching performance, with the hosts laboring against defensive West Ham until McTominay and Bruno Fernandes were introduced as second-half substitutes.
Photo: AP
“When it’s only 1-0 and we are wasteful, anything can happen to us. We knew that from the last game,” Solskjaer told BBC Sport.
“I think we got about 15 to 17 shots in the end, but we need to be more clinical. We should have finished the game off earlier,” he said.
“We needed to have a good result and a good feeling after today because we were low after [the] Everton game,” Solskjaer said. “We are in the hat and that’s what we wanted. We want to challenge and we want to go to the final. That’s what we’re here at Man United for.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
Amad Diallo was named on the Manchester United bench for the first time since the 18-year-old’s move last month from Atalanta BC as Solskjaer made six changes.
Lukasz Fabianski prevented the hosts from taking the lead in the 27th minute when he brilliantly pushed Victor Lindelof’s header onto the post.
There was a nasty clash of heads between West Ham’s Issa Diop and Manchester United’s Anthony Martial toward the end of the first half.
Both continued after treatment, but Diop did not return in the second half due to concussion.
Fabianski saved well from Marcus Rashford before the game went into extra-time.
McTominay finally made the breakthrough in the 97th minute.
Martial’s cross was only half-cleared and Rashford’s deft touch teed up McTominay to steer a composed strike past Fabianski from just inside the area.
In Tuesday’s other fifth-round tie, Burnley suffered a surprise exit as second-tier AFC Bournemouth won 2-0 at Turf Moor.
Sean Dyche’s side fell behind to Sam Surridge’s first-half goal and Junior Stanislas finished them off with a late penalty.
While the loss was embarrassing, it will be forgotten if Dyche ensures Burnley retain their Premier League status.
Burnley are 17th in the league, sitting eight points clear of the relegation zone.
It could have been an even more chastening night for Burnley, who initially included the ineligible Erik Pieters in the team before being alerted to the issue by Bournemouth’s media chief.
Dutch defender Pieters was banned after collecting bookings in the previous two rounds of the competition.
Pieters was replaced just before kickoff by Anthony Driscoll-Glennon, saving Burnley from a potential Football Association investigation.
“The rules have changed this year with the booking situation and the number of games in the FA Cup. It was just a clear oversight,” Dyche said.
“To be fair to Bournemouth, they flagged it and mentioned it, so credit to them for a bit of gentlemanly conduct. We jumped on it straight away and people at our club held their hands up in the right slots,” he said.
LA LIGA
AFP, MADRID
A depleted Real Madrid on Tuesday moved to within five points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid by beating struggling Getafe 2-0.
Madrid were without nine first-team players, prompting Zinedine Zidane to adopt a 3-5-2 formation which he admitted they had not practiced, with Marcelo and 20-year-old Marvin Park as wingbacks.
Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy scored the goals at Valdebebas, with Mendy’s finish teed up by his fellow leftback Marcelo, who reveled in his new role.
Madrid’s victory puts them in sight of city rivals Atletico even if Diego Simeone’s side have played two games fewer.
“We have to believe in ourselves, we have to fight. There is a lot of the league left, a lot in front of us,” Zidane said.
COPPA ITALIA
AP, TURIN, Italy
Juventus on Tuesday progressed to their sixth Coppa Italia final in seven years after a 0-0 draw against Inter to win 2-1 on aggregate.
The final is on May 19.
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has faced criticism in the first season in his managerial career, but his team won the Supercoppa Italiana last year and are still firmly on the hunt for what would be a record-extending 10th successive Serie A title.
“I hoped to get to this stage of my debut campaign and be in the last 16 of the Champions League, have won the Supercoppa Italiana and reached the final of the Coppa Italia, but we haven’t done anything yet so we have to keep working away and stay focused,” Pirlo said.
“We played well today because Inter hardly had any shots on goal. We had the best chances and [Inter goalkeeper Samir] Handanovic was the best player on the pitch,” he said.
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