SHREWSBURY TOWN 0, MANCHESTER UNITED 3.
Manchester United tamed the shrews and avoided a potential banana skin as they won at Sky Bet League One side Shrewsbury Town to claim a quarter-final place in the Emirates FA Cup.
The Reds made sure they didn’t come victims of a giantkilling act against opponents 60 places below them in the football pyramid after an upset looked a distinct possibility in the light of their poor form of late.
After defeats at Sunderland and in Denmark against FC Midtjylland, United came into the game with confidence brittle and pressure continuing to build on manager Louis van Gaal.
There was also the absence of 14 players through injury, notably talisman Wayne Rooney and David De Gea.
However, United produced a positive and professional performance and were never in any doubt as goals from Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard earned them victory.
“It is fantastic for the players that we are in the quarter finals of the FA Cup against West Ham,” declared van Gaal.
But it was not a night without further mishap as United ended the game with 10 men losing substitute Will Keane to injury having made all three changes.
In fact they were effectively down to nine men as Lingard was also struggling through a knock.
The only surprise of the night was that it took United 37 minutes to take the lead.
Smalling, Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial all had great chances before the deadlock was broken.
Left-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson’s long diagonal ball was headed by Morgan Schneiderlin into the path of Smalling who fired home with the aid of a deflection. How the centre-back came to be in such an advanced position remained a mystery.
And in first half stoppage time Mata scored with an exquisite free kick over the defensive wall, though there was controversy as three United players were offside and obstructing the view of keeper Jason Leutwiler.
Memphis and Martial had chances to increase the lead before United scored their third goal just after the hour when Lingard netted his fifth of the campaign.
Ander Herrera’s precision cross was met on the half volley by Lingard who scored with the sweetest of finishes.
Keane, back from a loan spell at Championship club Preston North End, almost made a dream entrance as Delay’s back heel provided the opening and his shot struck the upright. Sadly he was injured in the process of shooting.
The Shrews twice came close late on to scoring a consolation as Abu Ogogo failed to hit the target with a free header from seven yards and former United Academy player Larnell Cole fired just over.
Yet United almost added a fourth when the lively Depay was denied by the legs of Leutwiler who made an important block.