Man Utd ease past Reading

Wayne Rooney equalled Bobby Charlton's all-time goalscoring record as Manchester United cruised past Reading 4-0 in their FA Cup third round meeting at Old Trafford.

The forward finally joined the Utd legend on 249 goals when he kneed the ball into the net early in the game to put Jose Mourinho's side ahead.

Anthony Martial's clinical finish made it two on 15 minutes as the home side threatened to run up a big score against their startled Championship opponents.

While Jaap Stam will have enjoyed how he was serenaded by the home support on his return to the club where he enjoyed such success from 1998-2001 but he will not have appreciated the ease with which his side were being carved open.

Reading steadied the ship somewhat and it took until the final quarter of the game for Utd to add to their tally, Marcus Rashford finishing expertly for his first goal in 17 appearances.

Rashford then grabbed a second on 79 minutes when Ali Al Habsi made a mess of a clearance, eventually missing his kick and allowing the forward to fire home into an empty net from two yards out.

Reading will have learned the gap they will need to try and bridge if they manage to win promotion to the top flight for next season while for Utd, evidence that confidence is high as they went a 14th game unbeaten.

Mourinho made nine changes to the side which beat West Ham on Monday with only Michael Carrick and Marcos Rojo retaining a starting berth.

For the latter though, his afternoon didn’t last long as he limped off to be replaced by Phil Jones, the sympathetic ovation he received from the home crowd ample evidence for how Rojo’s recent form has made him a valuable part of this growing team.

By that stage, the victory was nearly as good as sealed as Reading’s nervy opening to the game was fully punished by the hosts.

The opener came on seven minutes, Juan Mata’s chipped cross guided into the back of the net in an unorthodox manner by Rooney.

Eight minutes later, Martial, who was threatening almost every time he received possession cutting in from the left, doubled the lead when he played a one-two with Rooney before surging into the penalty area and guiding a cool finish into the bottom corner of the net.

The Championship side finally had a chance of their own and Liam Kelly thought he was about to score but Carrick did brilliantly to intercept a cross in the six-yard-box.

Minutes later the visitors went closer still when a corner was met by a Joey van den Berg volley, the ball skidded into the six-yard-box but Liam Moore, with the goal gaping, missed his kick and the chance was gone.

Rashford, playing central striker in place of the rested Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was dangerous in attack but initially lacking a little confidence when through on goal; the youngster shot into the sidenetting after rounding Al Habsi before a little later he fired straight at the Royals’ goalkeeper when sent clear.

Reading began to get a foothold in the game nearing the end of the first period but after the restart Utd again created chances at ease, Rooney squandering two to grab his 250^th goal for the club, the second occasion denied by a fine stop by Al Habsi.

Although they were struggling to create any opportunities of their own, Reading remained competitive but they conceded a third on 74 minutes when Carrick’s fabulous throughball sent Rashford clear and the young striker’s touch and finish were clinical for his first goal since September.

The 19-year-old then grabbed his second minutes later when he took full advantage of a gift courtesy of a horror show from Al Habsi to smash home into the empty net from a couple of yards out to wrap up a satisfying afternoon for the player and his team.

Source: ISNTV

Photo: Getty/Mark Thompson

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