Casemiro strikes late to keep United's trophy hopes alive
CRUCIAL: Manchester United's Casemiro celebrates after scoring his side's goal. Pic: Rui Vieira, AP
IT may not exactly have matched the Mark Robins moment but Casemiro’s 88th minute winner not only carried Manchester United through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, but it might also eventually help Erik ten Hag keep his job.
The Brazilian stooped to meet Bruno Fernandes’s late free-kick and guide a skillful header into the Forest goal, bringing back memories of another tie between these clubs, in 1990, when a Robins winner saved Sir Alex Ferguson from the sack.
The rest, as they say, was history after that winner, and, as United booked a quarter-final place for a record 48th time at the City Ground, the current under-pressure manager could be forgiven for clinging to such omens.
It should not have taken that long. A United side, again weakened by injury, could, should, have been in front inside the opening 20 minutes although the fact that one of the missing eight players was in-form striker Rasmus Hojlund clearly did not help.
Still, there were three golden chances that the players in question - Antony, Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford - would have been reasonably expected to convert.
Just three minutes had gone when a well-worked corner saw Fernandes find the recalled Antony on the edge of the box and his left-foot shot struck the Forest cross-bar.
Diogo Dalot’s cross then found McTominay who might have added to his eight goals this season but placed his header straight at Matt Turner, despite being unmarked.
And, after 17 minutes, United again exploited gaps in the Forest area, with McTominay picking out Rashford who shot well over from just inside the home penalty box.
It was all part of a bright start to the fifth-round tie although Forest threatened on the break, even if their composure was sorely lacking once they got inside of the United area.
Taiwo Awoniyi proved the most dangerous of Forest’s pacy attackers, first seeing Victor Lindelof make a double block from a couple of near-post chances, and then pouncing on a mistake from emergency left-back Sofyan Amrabat and forced a diving save out of Andre Onana.
Amrabat, pressed into action due to injury to Luke Shaw and others, looked exposed at left-back and Neco Williams ended the half for Forest down that flank, hitting an effort high and wide on the half-volley.
But, for all their widely-discussed problems, United were the more threatening and, before the break, McTominay’s great run to the near-post saw him meet Dalot’s accurate cross and force a fine reflex save out of Turner.
They were opportunities that the under-pressure Ten Hag could really have done with seeing go in, especially as Forest started the second half with more attacking intent, former Red Anthony Elanga running at the defence and setting up Awoniyi for a shot which was well saved by Onana.
The United keeper was coming under pressure, punching a snap shot from Divock Origi away from the danger area after the former Liverpool striker intelligently made space for himself in the United area, and Ten Hag’s last chance of winning silverware this season was in danger of disappearing.
Having reached both cup finals last season, and won the League Cup, of course, the drop-off in United’s form has been spectacular and much-debated although Rashford, so heroic in scoring 30 goals last season, sums up that decline more than anyone.
Forced into the orthodox number nine role, due to Hojlund’s injury, he cut a lone, and unhappy, figure at the City Ground, with his body language leaving much to be desired - both towards the officials and his own team-mates.
When he went down, under the combined attentions of defenders Felipe and Murillo after 59 minutes, Rashford’s unhappy evening continued and saw him need attention after his appeals for a penalty were correctly ignored.
Moments before, Antony, on a rare start, had unleashed a shot which was comfortably caught by Turner. It was fare from as bad a display as the Brazilian’s last game at the City Ground, when United were beaten by Forest in late December, but still the £86 million winger failed to deliver.
At least United had weathered Forest’s strong start to the second half and Fernandes produced two shots in quick succession, one flying just over, the other deflected behind by McTominay.
Rashford and Casemiro also hurried shots well over as United, as had been the case all night, lacked tempo and urgency while looking susceptible on the break.
The win sets up an Old Trafford quarter-final against Liverpool, hardly a gift for an inconsistent United side that is next facing a derby visit to City on Sunday.
“There are a nice couple of games coming up but we’ve just got to focus on the derby,” said defender Victor Lindelof.
“We’re very pleased with the performance, getting through to the next rounds is important for us and Casemiro is very good at the timing of everything.
"It was a perfect ball and perfect execution from Casemiro. He’s a clever player and has done that a couple of times in his career.”
Turner 7; Williams 6, Felipe 7, Murillo 6, Toffolo 6; Yates 6 (Reyna 90), Danilo 6 (Ribeiro 90); Origi 6 (Hudson-Odoi 79, 5), Gibbs-White 6, Elanga 7; Awoniyi 7. Substitutes (not used) Kouyate, Dominguez, Niakhate, Vlachodimos, Omobamidele, Gardner.
Onana 7; Dalot 8, Varane 7, Lindelof 6, Amrabat 5 (Evans 90); Casemiro 7, McTominay 6 (Mainoo 90); Antony 6 (Diallo 72, 5), Fernandes 6, Garnacho 6; Rashford 5. Substitutes (not used) Bayindir, Eriksen, Kambwala, Forson, Collyer, Ogunneye.
C Kavanagh 7
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