Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Huddersfield Town versus Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round. José Mourinho’s men seem hellbent on descending to crisis based on recent form but can curtail their slump in West Yorkshire today as they bid to reach the last eight.
David Wagner’s Huddersfield, meanwhile, seem to be having mighty craic altogether since reaching the top flight, and have already beaten United once at home this season (though they did go down 2-0 at Old Trafford earlier this month).
Kick-off is at 5:30pm, and we’ll have team news with you shortly.
Here are your teams for this evening’s encounter:
TEAM NEWS with @ViessmannUK: Head Coach David Wagner has made 4⃣ changes to his starting line-up for #htafc's @EmiratesFACup match vs @ManUtd.
— Huddersfield Town (@htafcdotcom) February 17, 2018
➡️ @KongoloTerence, @BillingPhilip, Danny Williams & @CollinQuaner
⬅️ @ScottyMalone28, Jonathan Hogg, @AaronMooy & @pritch_93 (AT) pic.twitter.com/R1F1RLRRFs
Six changes for #MUFC - here's today's line-up! #FACup pic.twitter.com/JN9IyctMO3
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 17, 2018
Paul Pogba is out for Manchester United due to an illness, while Scottish youngster Ethan Hamilton, likened to Darren Fletcher, makes Mourinho’s bench.
David Wagner has to do without attacking midfielder Alex Pritchard who’s cup-tied, while Aaron Mooy – the club’s third-top scorer this term – is out with a knee injury.
Gutted I won’t be at Huddersfield but I need to get better. Come on United 👊🏾 @ManUtd
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) February 17, 2018
We’re underway at what I’ve been calling Kirlees Stadium but is actually now known as John Smith’s Stadium. My apologies to Mr. Smith – and to all of you.
Manchester United kick off and will play from left to right in the first half. Or, you know, right to left, depending on which way you’re facing.
Of course, if you’re this bloke, they’ll play from top to bottom. And so on.
View from #mufc section at Huddersfield. Good atmosphere building behind the United end. #redarmy pic.twitter.com/kknLTwY9GD
— Andrew Kilduff (@TuftyMUFC) February 17, 2018
A fantastic goal by Manchester United! Romelu Lukaku exchanges passes with Juan Mata before beating a defender with a drag-back and sliding the ball coolly past Jonas Lössl at his near post. A dream start for Mourinho’s men.
Huddersfield have a mild penalty shout turned down after a VAR review as the ball hits Chris Smalling’s arm from point-blank range following a flick-on from a long ball into United’s box. Moments later, a clever move down the left sees Tom Ince fire the ball across Sergio Romero’s goal but the English winger – son of former United star Paul Ince – is adjudged to have been in an offside position.
It’s been all Huddersfield since United opened the scoring. They’ve forced a succession of corners – one of which was taken from about half a yard infield – the ball nowhere near the designated area by the corner flag. United have battened down the hatches and are holding firm thus far.
Hadergjonaj, whose name I had to Google twice and may still have botched such is the nefarious pressure that comes with liveblogs, tests Romero from range but the Argentine gets down to save comfortably. United can’t string more than two passes together, here. Scott McTominay has been dispossessed on a couple of occasions, and the Terriers are running around like, well…
United win their first corner and after a scramble in the hosts’ box, Smalling’s aesthetically displeasing attempts to swing his boot at the ball are rebuffed by the Huddersfield defence. United, finally, gaining a foothold.
Quaner gets to the byline after gliding past Ashley Young, and floats a lovely ball into United’s box but a tame Van la Parra header is caught easily by Romero.
Seconds later a wonderful deep cross from Hadergjonaj just about connects with the onrushing Ince, who steers it well wide with his outstretched right boot.
Nice tempo to this one.
Topical fun fact while the action eases, somewhat: Huddersfield defender Mathias Jorgensen wears ‘Zanka’ on the back of his shirt due to a nickname accrued when he was 10: he physically resembles Sanka from the film Cool Runnings. He has no idea why he’s known as ‘Zanka’ and not ‘Sanka’, but sure you can only play the hand you’re dealt.
Two more Huddersfield corners – their 178th and 179th of the game so far – are cleared by United, whose performance to this point might best be described as ‘passive’.
Hadergjonaj has been extremely impressive down Huddersfield’s right, which is unfortunate from this liveblogger’s perspective. Bombing forward at every opportunity and putting some nicely-weighted crosses into the mixer. United, though, to their credit, are mopping up reasonably well.
Just the 20 goals and six assists for Romelu Lukaku in all competitions this season. Hardly a dreadful return for February, despite his critics. As far as this individual game is concerned, nothing of note has happened since I suggested there was a ‘nice tempo’ to it. The infamous Liveblogger’s Curse strikes again.
Correction: Huddersfield have had six corners – not 179 as I previously indicated.
It looked for all the world as if Juan Mata had doubled United’s lead with a wonderful finish: the Spaniard received a clever inside-pass from Ashley Young on the right wing – seemingly onside – and took the ball around the goalkeeper to slot home with his lesser-spotted right foot. After a VAR review, Mata is ruled OFFSIDE – and on the replay, it looks marginal, at best. His hand might be offside? Very, very contentious.
Worth noting that Jose Mourinho is a big advocate of the VAR system!
At the stroke of half-time, Nemanja Matic puts the ball in the net but the flag was already up, again for offside. Remarkable end to the first half.
Hmmm…
Graham Poll on BT Sport: “I’m a big fan of VAR but I cannot support this one”, in reference to the offside call against Juan Mata.
Good pressure again by Huddersfield down their right-hand side. Luke Shaw conceded a free-kick in a dangerous area – about 20 yards from United’s goal, right-and-centre. Ince hits the wall and though United can’t clear it, the ball eventually drifts wide from a cross.
Sanchez fouls Williams in a similarly dangerous position. Another free-kick to Huddersfield, this one about 20 yards out – dead central.
Billing hits the wall, then has a right-footed drive deflected wide.
Ohhhh that’s a wonderful goal by Manchester United! Seconds after a Huddersfield corner, United break: Alexis Sanchez picks the ball up in midfield, turns inside and threads a sumptuous ball through to Romelu Lukaku, who storms through the Huddersfield defence and finishes wonderfully into the bottom-left-hand corner. Lovely, lovely goal.
United now looking lethal on the counter as Huddersfield commit men forward in search of a route back into this fifth-round tie.
A wonderful take by Lukaku at the right-hand side of Huddersfield’s area sees him release Mata, whose delicate pull-back is eventually cleared.
Into the final quarter and United in complete control. Sanchez, after a quiet first half, is running the show from a central position, and the away side are still looking to hit their hosts on the break having seemingly taken the sting out of Huddersfield’s tail with that second Lukaku strike. It’s not over, of course, but the game is being played at a pace which would suggest it is.
A lovely ball from Mata sets Young down the right wing. His finely-timed pull-back finds Lukaku, who’s on a hat-trick, but has a right-footed attempt blocked from the edge of the area. I might head for a cuppa. Anyone looking?
Billing has a shot straight at Romero. United reach Huddersfield’s box some four seconds later, but Sanchez can’t find Mata who was bearing down on goal.
Anthony Martial on for Alexis Sanchez, who’s had a huge impact on this second half.
A wonderful backheel flick by Martial puts Lingard into space in Huddersfield’s area, and though the Englishman unselfishly attempts to square it immediately to Lukaku for a hat-trick goal, he had a lot more time than he seemed to realise, and could have just waltzed towards goal himself.
Martial goes down the left-hand side and pulls a lovely cross back across the box, but there’s nobody there in a red shirt to tap it home. Lukaku eventually chases down the cross, does a couple of stepovers and makes an absolute balls of his attempted cross back into the area. It might actually have been a shot, but it’s due to land in Leeds sometime next Thursday.
Into the second of three minutes’ added time. Martial is ruining lads’ evenings, at the moment. Some of these men have kids. Eric Bailly on for United – back at last after months out with injury.
That’s it from us as Manchester United see off Huddersfield to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. Thanks for following. ‘Til next time, take it easy!
