Man Utd v Cambridge: fourth-round replay – as it happened | Scott Murray

Cambridge United of League Two were resilient, but Manchester United of the Premier League were, in the end, too good. Still, what if that chance on 51 seconds had gone in?

9.58pm GMT

And that’s that. The result was pretty much what everyone expected. Manchester United were professional and pretty, while Cambridge were resilient and determined, as they had to be to limit the biggest club in the country to three goals. But they’ll always wonder what might have happened had Tom Elliott found the net on 51 seconds. Ah well, they’ll always have that 0-0 draw at the Abbey.

9.57pm GMT

90 min +3: And the game finishes as it started, with Cambridge nearly scoring! Elliott cuts in from the right, one-twoing with Champion, and eating up much of the Manchester United half. He slides a diagonal pass towards McGeehan, who for a second is clear down the inside-left channel! McGeehan is about to get closed down, though, so he’s forced to shoot from the edge of the box, and nearly curls a powerful sidefoot into the bottom left! Not quite. Brave Cambridge, though.

9.55pm GMT

90 min +2: They’re still doing it, albeit to little effect.

9.54pm GMT

90 min +1: Manchester United pass it around quite a lot.

9.53pm GMT

90 min: There will be three added minutes.

9.51pm GMT

87 min: A final change for Cambridge, as Miller comes on for Nelson. Miller nearly gets on the end of a free kick, hoofed into the Manchester United box from a deep position down the left. In fact Elliott gets in ahead of his team-mate, to little effect, the ball sailing serenely towards De Gea.

9.50pm GMT

86 min: Rooney, the best part of 30 yards out, just to the left of the goal, attempts another curler into the top right. It’s flying along a perfect arc, but not travelling at any pace, and Dunn can calmly pluck the ball from the sky.

9.48pm GMT

84 min: A lull, with both United taking turns to pass the ball around the middle of the park awhile. Donaldson attempts to break off down the left, but that scheme comes to a swift end.

9.46pm GMT

81 min: That’s it for Rojo, who won’t be too happy with his delivery from wide areas tonight - it was erratic at best - but will be extremely pleased with his first goal for Manchester United. He’s in credit. And he’s replaced by Young.

9.44pm GMT

80 min: Rojo is in a lot of green space down the left. With team-mates screaming for the ball in the middle, his cross should be better, and he’ll have to settle for a corner, Nelson bundling out well. From the set piece, Rooney tries to curl one into the top right from the left-hand corner of the box. Nope.

9.41pm GMT

77 min: McNair makes good down the right and hoicks a low ball into the centre. Rooney tries to help it on into the bottom left, but doesn’t get enough on the ball, and it squirts off wide left of goal. Meanwhile the other results are in. It’s 3-1 wins for Preston and Sunderland, over Sheffield United and Fulham respectively. So it’s going to be Bradford-Sunderland, and Preston-Manchester United. That latter fixture, between two local rivals, hasn’t been played since 1972.

9.39pm GMT

75 min: Rooney is playing emergency left back as a high ball is launched into the Manchester United box from the left. Tait outjumps him but Rooney does enough to put the Cambridge full back off. He bundles the ball well wide right of the target.

9.37pm GMT

A Rooney-esque finish, this. Wilson takes up possession 30 yards from goal, in a central position. He edges to the left, shoulders wide and head down, then lashes an unstoppable shot across Dunn and into the bottom right from the edge of the box. The keeper had no chance. A superlative goal.

9.35pm GMT

71 min: Di Maria is replaced by Herrera.

9.35pm GMT

69 min: Elliott is sprung clear down the left! But the flag goes up for a non-existent offside. Hmm. Cambridge have carved Manchester United open once or twice in this match, despite the home team’s almost total dominance.

9.33pm GMT

68 min: Shots at either end. First Kaikai scores three rugby points, then Di Maria forces Dunn into tipping the ball over the bar from a position 25 yards out down the left. From the set piece, Fellaini is foiled at the right-hand post, his shot deflected out for another corner that’s wasted. Manchester United haven’t taken their foot off the gas at all, and neither have they played badly. They’re just being held to two goals by a staunch Cambridge United side.

9.31pm GMT

66 min: The frustrated van Persie is replaced by Wilson. No big tantrum is thrown, and he doesn’t look injured, but instead of sitting on the bench with his team-mates, he’s straight off down the tunnel. Let’s see this turned into something it isn’t.

9.29pm GMT

65 min: A little bit of space for Morrissey, who has the chance of a shot from a central position, 20 yards out. But there’s little time for a backlift, and he drags it well wide of the right-hand post.

9.28pm GMT

64 min: More anguish for van Persie. Di Maria chips a delightful ball down the inside-left channel for the striker, who powers into the box and, on the turn, hammers a low shot goalwards. But Dunn, despite being wrongfooted, twists in mid-air and parries clear. A brilliant save! Nelson does the decent thing by his keeper, hacking clear.

9.27pm GMT

62 min: Tait powers down the right and diddles his way past a lumbering Fellaini. His low cross would have been met in the middle by Donaldson, but Rojo’s diving header concedes a corner instead. From that set piece, another corner. And from that one, Elliot can’t get on the end of an elaborate McGeehan backheeled flick-on. Manchester United clear, and weren’t seriously threatened in truth, but that’s a decent passage of play from the fourth-division side.

9.24pm GMT

61 min: A second change by Richard Money: Simpson is replaced by Kaikai.

9.24pm GMT

59 min: Di Maria, on the right-hand edge of the Cambridge box, takes a touch inside and looks to curl an exquisite shot into the top left. That might have beaten Dunn’s desperate dive, but the excellent Coulson stepped in front of the keeper to batter a header clear. Magnificent play all round.

9.22pm GMT

58 min: Manchester United are being given corners for nowt right now. And again van Persie is involved, the ball clanking off his arm as he challenges Coulson for a high ball. Nothing comes of it. But the Dutch striker seems hell bent on getting on the scoresheet tonight. He’s been a whirling dervish since the restart, a supreme irritant buzzing around this Cambridge back line.

9.20pm GMT

55 min: In the other ties, the goals have been flying in, and both matches have turned around. Preston now lead Sheffield United 3-1, while Sunderland are 2-1 up on Fulham. As things stand, it’s going to be Bradford City versus Sunderland and Preston North End versus Manchester United.

9.18pm GMT

53 min: Rooney belts a shot straight at Dunn from 25 yards. The keeper parries, but only into the path of van Persie, who is now officially livid with himself after ballooning over from close range, from a position just to the left of goal.

9.17pm GMT

52 min: Incidentally, between those van Persie chances, Chadwick was replaced by Morrissey.

9.15pm GMT

50 min: A couple of chances for a increasingly irritated van Persie within the space of 120 seconds. First he heads wide left and high from close range, after meeting McNair’s excellent right-wing cross. Then he’s bursting into the area down the inside-right channel, but shoots straight into Dunn’s chest. The ball clanks back off the striker for a goal kick, but Manchester United are gifted a corner. Another corner comes from that, and then ... nothing.

9.14pm GMT

48 min: Rojo is found in acres of space down the left, in the Cambridge area. His cross sails into the Stretford End. Very poor, but he’s got the good grace to look appalled at his own effort. “If you were looking for Dion Dublin highlights, might I suggest the show he played his homemade percussion instrument (‘the Dube’) with Ocean Colour Scene?” writes Tom Adams. “Google it and thank me later.” Nobody’s going to thank you for reminding them of Ocean Colour Scene, though, are they. And whatever next? Robert Rosario playing tea-chest bass with Spacemen 3?

9.11pm GMT

And we’re off again! Cambridge knock it around for 50 seconds or so. And if Donaldson hadn’t hogged the ball, and slid a ball down the inside-right channel, McGeehan would have been clear on goal! On another day, Manchester United could easily have conceded a goal within a minute of each half starting. Is someone rohypnol-ing the oranges?

8.56pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. Here’s Dion Dublin scoring a late winner for Cambridge United against Chesterfield in the 1990 Fourth Division play-off final. And here he is sealing Manchester United’s first-ever Premier League win, four games into the 1992/93 season, against Southampton at the Dell.

8.54pm GMT

The ball’s at van Persie’s feet, in the Cambridge box down the left. He tries a few Chadwickesque spins and turns of his own, embarking on a route that, if mapped, would be not dissimilar to a treble clef. He nearly opens up the defence for a shot, but it’s blocked by Coulson. And that’s that for a half, which started with the fourth-division side (0p) hitting the post within a minute, and ended with the home side (£233.6m) rather understandably in full control. It’s been a blast, though, with both teams bringing plenty to the table. Don’t miss the second 45!

8.52pm GMT

45 min: McNair clumsily bundles Chadwick over down the left, in the midfield. The free kick’s worked into the Manchester United area, where Chadwick is again involved, attempting a dainty dragback and turn, in the hope of making space for a shot, ten yards out to the left of goal. But Smalling is on hand to put a stop to his notions.

8.49pm GMT

43 min: And this is a corner to Cambridge, Rojo panicking slightly under a high ball with Donaldson on his shoulder. Evans deals with it easily enough. And Manchester United tear up the pitch on the break, with Di Maria blazing down the left. Rooney is in acres down the inside-right channel. Di Maria loops a perfect crossfield pass onto his foot. Rooney checks his run - rat-a-tat-tat - so he can meet the ball on the volley, just to the right of the D. Which he does, but not particularly well, the shot squirming miles left of the target. Wow, that would have been some finish.

8.47pm GMT

40 min: McGeehan, 40 yards out down the inside-left channel and with his back to the play, turns and lashes a gorgeous diagonal pass to Donaldson, who cuts in from the right and reaches the Manchester United area. He shoots across De Gea, not particularly confidently, the ball bobbling apologetically past the left-hand post. But that’s a decent attack by Cambridge.

8.45pm GMT

39 min: United are pinging it around in a very aesthetically pleasing fashion right now. Lots of lovely little triangles. Cambridge are having to work very hard to keep them at bay.

8.43pm GMT

36 min: Rooney swings a cross into the Cambridge area from a deep position on the right. Fellaini brings it down with his hand, highly deliberately. A couple of moments later, and Di Maria is flashing a shot over the bar from 25 yards. Manchester United are well on top after a slow start.

8.40pm GMT

34 min: Well, it’s over unless Manchester United start doing silly things. van Persie faffs around in the middle of the park, gifting possession to Cambridge. Within seconds, Donaldson is in space, bowling down the inside-right channel. But Rojo is quickly in to smother any shot at source.

8.39pm GMT

A couple of corners for Manchester United out on the right. The first finds the side netting. The second ends up, after a fashion, in the net. The corner’s driven to the far post, where Fellaini, 12 yards out, chests down and guides the ball, via a deflection, to van Persie, down the channel. van Persie waves his foot-wand, clipping the ball inside for Rojo, six yards out. Rojo glances a header into the right-hand side of the net past a flailing, helpless Dunn. This is over, in case you were still feeling tense.

8.37pm GMT

30 min: Di Maria turns on the burners down the left. His low cross into the box is met by Mata, who miskicks as he tries to dispatch the ball into the net from six yards. He should have scored. Nelson fails to clear properly, and McNair comes trundling down the inside-right channel to connect with the clearance on the edge of the area. He lashes a shot goalwards, but it’s deflected wide right. The corner comes to naught. But Manchester United are beginning to create proper chances now.

8.34pm GMT

27 min: A minor stramash in the Manchester United area, as Smalling and Evans fail to deal with a simple high ball. No Cambridge player can make meaningful contact, though, and eventually the bother calms down.

8.32pm GMT

So much for that respite! McNair rakes a lovely ball from the right into the middle for Mata, who in turn spreads it wide left for Di Maria. The winger stands a ball up to the back post for Fellaini. The ball’s headed down into the centre, and turned into the goal from close range by Mata. Manchester United celebrate, not so much in joy, or indeed relief, but having experienced an end to irritation. Cambridge had been resilient up until now.

8.30pm GMT

24 min: Tait races at high speed down the right-hand touchline. He looks to beat Rojo, but the Argentina international isn’t having a bar of it. That’s a determined run, though, and one which gives Cambridge’s under-pressure defence a little respite.

8.29pm GMT

21 min: McNair makes his presence felt down the right, and wins a corner, though he was hoping to fizz a low cross into the six-yard box. The resulting set piece is plucked from the sky by Dunn. Now then: the winners of this tie will face the winners of Sheffield United versus Preston North End. Well, Jamie Murphy has given Sheffield United the lead on 38 minutes.

8.26pm GMT

20 min: Di Maria has been down receiving treatment. He’s just had his ankle stepped on by McGeehan. It was a clumsy rather than malicious challenge, not helped by the fact that Di Maria slipped towards McGeehan as he was making the tackle. Di Maria looks like he’s fine to continue, and no offence appears to have been taken.

8.25pm GMT

18 min: Another Manchester United cross from the left. Just like on 16 min, Rooney traps, but this time he’s in control, and nudges the ball back to the left. From the edge of the box, he unleashes a low screamer goalwards. It’s Manchester United’s best effort so far, a really hard belt. But Dunn is right behind it.

8.23pm GMT

17 min: van Persie bustles to win a corner down the left. It’s a hopeless waste of effort, as the resulting set piece is a hopeless waste of time.

8.22pm GMT

16 min: Another cross from the left. Di Maria. Rooney gets on the end of it, 12 yards out, trapping the ball. But he’s unable to dig a shot out from under his feet. McGeehan clears. A lot of crossing by Manchester United so far. A lot. It’s like David Moyes never went away.

8.20pm GMT

14 min: Rooney, 30 yards out, pitching wedges a delightful ball towards the well-upholstered nut of Fellaini, at the left-hand post. The big man heads back across into the middle, but Coulson, who has been immense so far, skelps back upfield from the six-yard box.

8.18pm GMT

12 min: Blind, down the inside-left channel, dinks a ball into the Cambridge area towards the far post. Rooney gives Taylor a crafty nudge in the back. He heads back into the mixer, but the ball clanks off a confused Taylor’s noggin and flies towards the top right. Not at any great speed, in fairness, and Dunn claims.

8.17pm GMT

10 min: A free kick for Cambridge in the middle of the park. Donaldson garryowens it into the Manchester United area, and that’s an easy one for De Gea to claim. Hugo Rodallega has given Fulham the lead against Sunderland on 28 minutes, by the way.

8.15pm GMT

8 min: Evans shanks a hopeless clearance straight out of play under no pressure whatsoever. It leads to nothing of import, but perhaps betrays a little nervousness on Manchester United’s part. “Van Gaal, and some Man United fans, may be worried that there’s a hurricane on the way,” writes British television historian and fate-tempter Simon McMahon. “Don’t worry, there isn’t.”

8.12pm GMT

6 min: Di Maria curls one in from the left, but Coulson clatters a header back upfield. Then Rojo tries a cross from the same wing; the same defender bangs clear. A magnificent atmosphere in Old Trafford, by the way. The away fans are obviously of a mind to enjoy themselves tonight, whatever happens, though that start has given them an added boost. The home fans aren’t letting them have it all their own way, either. The FA Cup, right here.

8.10pm GMT

3 min: An affronted Manchester United push Cambridge back in their own half awhile. A couple of balls are swung into the box from either flank, but dealt with easily enough. Cambridge hit the post, though!

8.09pm GMT

51 seconds: Cambridge hit the post!!! Dear me! Blind miscontrols in the middle of the park. He prods it back to his own keeper, down the inside-left channel. But he takes as much turf as ball, and it apologetically rolls to Elliott, who is free and bearing down on goal, in a dead central position! The striker reaches the edge of the box, and though he ends up leaning backwards while striking the ball, manages to guide it past De Gea towards the bottom-right corner. It’s not quite accurate enough, and shaves the outside of the post. That is an astonishing enough start, but just imagine if that had gone in!

8.07pm GMT

And we’re off! Manchester United (£233.6m) set the ball rolling against Cambridge (0p). McNair lumps it forward, and Dunn gathers. And then ...

8.05pm GMT

The teams are out! Portentous music blazes out of the Old Trafford PA system, as the Uniteds of Manchester and Cambridge take to the glorious turf. Manchester United are in their famous red and black, Cambridge United are proudly dressed in their shimmering yellow and black. “Are those temperatures on that weather map in Fahrenheit?” wonders a shivering Kaustubh Mone.

8.02pm GMT

Louis van Gaal’s opposite number Richard Money was speaking to the same broadcaster, Post Office Telecommunications Sport, earlier. He’s looking forward to the game, thinks Manchester United are obviously hot favourites, but is happy they’re playing a lot of their big names, otherwise what’s the point in trying to get to Old Trafford in the first place? That’s the sort of positive attitude that earns one a European Cup winners medal (1981 with Liverpool, but you knew that already).

7.56pm GMT

Louis van Gaal patiently suffers a pre-match interview. You should win, shouldn’t you, Louis? “They play long balls and have tall players. It is difficult to play against these teams. Chelsea lost to a lower-league team after being 2-0 up at home. So everything is possible. It is what I always say: the death or the gladioli.” I can think of at least one famous supporter of Manchester United who will surely be a fan of van Gaal’s lyricism.

7.33pm GMT

Kick off has been delayed. Weather issues leading to transport bother, you see. The game now gets going, all being well, at 8.05pm.

7.17pm GMT

“Everything is against you at Manchester United and everything is in favour of the underdog.” Now you can criticise Louis van Gaal all you like for unnecessary whining ... but he’s not really whining, is he? He’s just accepting the fact that everyone other than supporters of Manchester United, and probably Peterborough United too, would like to witness an unlikely upset this evening.

To this end, van Gaal has shown both Cambridge United and the FA Cup plenty of respect, naming a super-strong side. Victor Valdes might have been hoping to make his Manchester United debut, but David de Gea keeps his place in goal. Meanwhile Paddy McNair, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata all come into a £££££ team also starring Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Angel di Maria. There are three World Cup finalists in there, four if you count the chap who sat through a final on the bench.

7.03pm GMT

Manchester United: De Gea, McNair, Smalling, Evans, Rojo, Blind, Fellaini, Mata, Rooney, Di Maria, van Persie.
Subs: Valdes, Jones, Valencia, Herrera, Young, Falcao, Wilson.

Cambridge United: Dunn, Tait, Coulson, Nelson, G Taylor, Donaldson, Champion, McGeehan, Simpson, Chadwick, Elliott.
Subs: Miller, Norris, Gaffney, Morrissey, Ball, B-J Taylor, Kaikai.

6.30pm GMT

Manchester United have endured one or two FA Cup shockers against lower-league opposition at Old Trafford in recent times. But one or two is as many as you’re getting. An infamous 1-0 defeat to third-division Leeds United in 2010. An embarrassingly narrow 1-0 victory over Crawley Town in 2011. And, er, well, that’s about it. Two shockers, and one of those was a win. You can blame Fergie for this state of affairs; the Leeds debacle aside, the country’s grandest manager just didn’t get turfed out of the world’s oldest institution by those downstairs. So Cambridge United watch out, not least because there’s another lesson to learn. In 2006, non-league Burton Albion shocked the biggest club in England by holding them 0-0 at the Pirelli Stadium in the third round, just as fourth-division Cambridge did at the Abbey Stadium in the fourth round a couple of Fridays ago. But Old Trafford wasn’t such a forgiving place for the replay: Burton were battered 5-0.

Cambridge are expected to meet a similar fate tonight: they’re 25-1 for the win, and 12-1 to claim another draw, while Manchester United are 18-1 on. Still, what’s the point in turning up if there’s no hope whatsoever? Cambridge were magnificent at the Abbey, restricting the 11-time cup winners to a couple of decent chances. Fight and determination appears to be in this side’s DNA: they were three down at half time at Luton on Saturday, but battled back to 3-2, Johnny Hunt scoring a pearler (though he’s cup-tied). A defeat, it’s true, but one so nearly avoided, and their first in six games, all of which is worth at least a little something, no? And Manchester United have suffered other humiliations at home to lower league opposition in modern times, albeit in the League Cup: defeats by York City (1995), Coventry City (2007) and Crystal Palace (2011). It’s not much, truth be told, but Cambridge will clutch hold of every single straw there is, before going into battle against this Manchester United side, who are beginning to look their old selves under Louis van Gaal, having suffered just one defeat in the last 15.

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