MADRID, Jan. 15 (SportsFinding) –
Manchester United qualified on Wednesday to play the round of 16 of the FA Cup, thanks to their brief 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, which was certified during the second half with a goal from Spanish striker Juan Mata.
After the 0-0 they had signed on January 4 at Molineux Stadium, 'red devils' and 'wolves' faced this definitive playoff in an Old Trafford that muttered at times a negative surprise. At 10 minutes, the away team went ahead on the scoreboard, but Pedro Neto's goal was canceled after the referee's consultation with the VAR.
Thanks to a United ruling in defense, a clearance by Harry Maguire bounced off Raúl Jiménez's arm and the ball was placid for Pedro Neto to beat Sergio Romero. However, the joy of the pupils of Nuno Espírito Santo quickly vanished.
Already in the second half, Anthony Martial dodged an opponent for a long ball and gave the ball to Juan Mata, who was accompanying the sprint. Thus, the Spanish attacker entered the area and subtly “kicked” the ball to overcome the Wolverhampton goalkeeper.
That goal, in the end, sealed the local victory and at the same time a ticket for the next round, where Cardiff City will also be after beating Carlisle United 3-4. In a very colorful game, the visitors traced an early goal from Nathan Thomas, although they had to remain attentive to each response of their adversary.
Aden Flint scored a double for Cardiff, who then rounded off his performance with the goals of Josh Murphy and Danny Ward. That neutralized the other two goals scored by Carlisle, which were the work of Harry McKirdy and kept the emotion until the final whistle.