Even without injured superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United were the last team to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The traditional football club coached by Ralph Rangnick struggled to win 1-0 (1-0) over Premier League rival Aston Villa in the third round. Midfielder Scott McTominay scored the winning goal for Manchester United at Old Trafford with a header in the eighth minute. When the guests were supposed to equalize, Aston veteran Danny Ings was offside (51).
In the Premier League, Man United are currently only seventh in the table. Rangnick had decided before the cup match to spare Ronaldo, who had a minor injury to his thigh. “The cup match can take 120 minutes, and I think it would be better not to risk,” the interim German coach explained.
Among the top teams in the league, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also qualified for the next round; But Arsenal were knocked out of Nottingham Forest 1-0 the day before.
Rangnick was appointed as interim coach at the end of November. The 63-year-old must take care of the Red Devils until the end of the season and then work as an advisor at the club for another two years.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 220110-99-661015/ 2