Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates
MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 READING
Manchester United XI: Romero,Dalot, Darmian, Jones, Young, Fred, Pereira, McTominay, Mata, Lukaku, Alexis
Reading XI: Jaakkola, Yiadom, Ilori, Moore, Richards; Kelly, Rinomhota, McCleary, Swift, Harriott, Loader
- Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku start
- Fred and Diogo Dalot make FA Cup debuts
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 READING
10: McTominay bravely sticks his head into a cluster of Reading bodies to win a flick-on from Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick. He gets treatment for a head injury, but looks fine to continue.
8: Jose Manuel Gomes will be delighted with his sides start. They’ve looked sharp. Obviously I know very little about the Portuguese tactician other than what Wikipedia tells me. He’s managed at: Videoton, Al-Taawoun, Al-Ahli and of course the glory years with Baniyas…
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
5: Reading right-back Yiadom ploughs through the back of Alexis Sanchez. Y’know, just to let the Chilean know what he’s up against… Nothing from Manchester United in an attacking sense in these opening stages.
3: What an outstanding opening 120 seconds for Reading, who have somehow managed 100 percent possession! The Championship strugglers don’t seem nervous – then again they haven’t had to defend yet.
MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 READING
1: And we’re underway! Now the best omen I can see for Reading is that referee Stuart Atwell also officiated United’s defeat to Derby in the Carabao Cup…
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
Five-minute klaxon
12:25: We’re nearly underway here at Old Trafford folks. They say anything can happen in the FA Cup… but I’m just not seeing an upset here this afternoon. My prediction? 4-0.
What the managers say…
12:20: Reading boss Jose Gomes on BT Sport: “Big game of football. It’s an honour to be part of this game. We must enjoy it and show to our supporters we can play good football and take good results. We never know what’s going to happen.”
Manchester United interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on BT Sport: “It’s great to be in a comp you can win in the end – it’s a trophy we can go for.
“Most of these players have started a game in the last four games – Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez are starters usually so it’s time to start them. It is an opportunity for everyone to put themselves in the frame for Tottenham.
“It may be a risk changing so many players but there are tired legs and heads.”
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
‘Unbelievable if Ole doesn’t get it’
12:15: Not my words folks, the words of former Manchester United striker and Betfair ambassador Dimitar Berbatov.
“What an unbelievable start for Ole,” Berbatov said. “You can see, all of a sudden, that Manchester United look like a completely different team.
“The central defenders are now carrying the ball out, the full-backs are pushed up – Ashley Young was in the box a few times against Bournemouth – and, of course, Paul Pogba is playing with far more freedom and has been much more effective as a result.
“If United keep performing like this until the end of the season – and especially if they can make the top four – it would be unbelievable if Ole doesn’t get the job full-time. He’s young, with the right ideas and a good team around him including Mike Phelan and Michael Carrick, and it’s a chance he deserves.”
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: REUTERS)
Solskjaer eyes silverware
12:10: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can’t help but endear himself to Manchester United fans.
The baby-faced assassin is making all the right noises about winning silverware this season – starting with the FA Cup.
Solskjaer, who won the cup as a player, said: “We’re about winning trophies of course.
“The FA Cup final is such a fantastic final to play in. I played in the 1999 one at Wembley and, after having watched so many finals as a kid, to be able to make that long walk up from the dressing room to the pitch was fantastic.
“If we end up winning, that’s what we hope for. Whatever competition you’re in, you want to win. It’s more or less what you expect at a big club like this.”
Twitter round-up
Dave: Great to see McTominay today, massive talent and potential. Finally get to see the real player. Good luck to the lad. Everything about him in Manchester United.
Jimmy: Brilliant this I’ve picked dad up then just taken him the pub bought him a pie in the ground & a programme… it’s rolls reversed from when I was a kid!
Tammy: I’m liking the line-up, let’s hope we see some goals, plenty of them! Can’t wait to see Chong & Garner get some minutes. Some serious young talent there.
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: GETTY)
John O’Shea returns
12:00: No, he’s not signing. Although Jose Mourinho was so desperate for a centre-back over the summer it wouldn’t have surprised me!
O’Shea has already exchanged text messages with Solskjaer’s assistant and fellow former team-mate Michael Carrick, and after his own successful career at United hopes to mark his likely last appearance there with an unexpected victory.
“My phone was buzzing when the draw was made,” he said. “It’s all been friendly with Michael Carrick so far but we’ll go quiet now and talk again afterwards. You don’t be the player Solskjaer’s been and stay at the club for as long as he did if you don’t have that inner determination, that steeliness.
“I wouldn’t mention a darker side, but he would definitely get stuck in in training and put tackles in because he knew how competitive it was to stay in the team throughout the seasons. He knew how to look after himself and everyone had that respect.
“His intelligence, the professionalism, the reason he was able to cope with different positions and also being ready for when the manager called upon him. Looking at that was a big learning curve, but also his attitude around the place and how he treated people.”
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: GETTY)
Team news – Reading
11:55: Reading boss Jose Manuel Gomes makes four changes. Liam Kelly, Liam Moore, Callum Harriott and Danny Loader replace John O’Shea, Sone Aluko, Modou Barrow and Yakou Meite.
John O’Shea, who spent 12 seasons at Old Trafford, is on the bench.
Team news – Manchester United
11:50: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes NINE changes from the side who beat Newcastle 2-0 during the week.
Phil Jones and Juan Mata are the only survivors… much to the dismay of many Manchester United supporters.
Matteo Darmian plays alongside Jones in the centre of defence with Diogo Dalot and Ashley Young flanking them.
Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Mata and the exciting Andreas Pereira form a terrifying front-four.
James Garner and Tahith Chong are on a bench, as are Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial should things go pear-shaped.
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: GETTY)
Elsehere…
11:45: I like that the FA have staggered the fixtures today. Usually we have about 147 games starting at 3pm and nobody has a clue what’s happening.
So the opening seven fixtures are as follows; Manchester United vs Reading, Bournemouth vs Brighton, Burnley vs Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday vs Luton, Shrewsbury vs Stoke, West Brom vs Wigan, West Ham vs Birmingham.
Some of the headline news already is that Bournemouth’s new loan signing Nathaniel Clyne starts straight away. Samir Nasri starts for West Ham having joined the Hammers as a free agent on New Year’s Eve.
Oh, and England international goalkeeper Nick Pope will make his first appearance for Burnley since July.
Twitter round-up
Richie: I would like to see Matteo Darmian as a centre-back today. He was immense against Arsenal. Let’s see what he has to offer. If he plays very well then he should be partnered with Victor Lindelof because right now I’ll prefer anybody to Phil Jones.
Aiden: Gutted not to see Greenwood or Gomes in the squad, Williams for that matter too.
Jay: Hope Juan Mata doesn’t play on the wing he’s hopeless on the wing, It’s like playing with a man less, let Andreas Pereira play there!
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: PA)
Ole, Ole, Ole…
11:35: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made the perfect start to his interim tenure at Old Trafford, becoming the first Manchester United manager since Sir Matt Busby to win his first four league games.
But… he’s not yet held talks with the hierarchy about his future at the club.
“It’s early doors. Of course when I came in they were open and honest about they’re going to have a process looking for the next manager. But the more you’re here, the more you enjoy it,” said Solskjaer.
“I’ve said one game at a time and the day they announce the next manager, if it’s me or someone else, good luck.”
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: PA)
The starting XI…
11:30: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasn’t telling fibs. Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku start at Old Trafford this afternoon.
Manchester United XI: Romero, Dalot, Darmian, Jones, Young, McTominay, Fred, Andreas, Mata, Lukaku, Alexis.
Subs: Grant, Lindelof, Fellaini, Garner, Chong, Martial, Rashford.
Reading XI: Jaakkola, Yiadom, Ilori, Moore, Richards; Kelly, Rinomhota, McCleary, Swift, Harriott, Loader.
Subs: Walker, Gunter, O’Shea, Aluko, Barrow, Meite, East.
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: MANCHESTER UNITED)
Morning…
11:25: Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Manchester United vs Reading.
Well… the magic of the FA Cup returns today. It’s the oldest cup competition in world football, and quite honestly that doesn’t surprise me.
Premier League action has been paused and everyone is trying to find where exactly this giant-killing is going to happen.
It certainly wasn’t at Prenton Park last night where Spurs demolished League Two Tranmere 7-0!
But could Old Trafford be the scene of the weekend’s biggest story? We’ll soon find out!
Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup third-round score, goals and updates (Image: GETTY)
MANCHESTER UNITED vs READING
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will make changes and give starts to Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku. United’s defensive options are limited by injuries to Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo, while Eric Bailly is suspended. Paul Pogba may have been rested anyway but is an injury doubt.
Reading full-back Chris Gunter is pushing to be passed fit after a muscle injury. Tyler Blackett, once of United, and Leandro Bacuna serve the final matches of their bans but another former United player, John O’Shea, could feature.
Top scorers (all competitions): Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba (Man Utd) 9; Yakou Meite (Reading) 7
Referee: Stuart Atwell (Nuneaton)