Manchester United 1-0 Watford: Three Things We Learned

Manchester United have progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win against Watford at home on Saturday evening.

Premier League giants United got the better of Championship club Watford 1-0 at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Cup.

The Red Devils headed into the tie as favourites, and they managed to win it. Scott McTominay’s headed effort from Alex Telles’ corner as early as the fifth minute proved to be the difference between the two sids.

The hosts were the better of the two teams in the first half, with Juan Mata having a good chance to double the lead. Daniel James and Marcus Rashford had efforts saved after the half-time interval.

Watford had chances, too. Adam Masina, Joao Pedro and Ken Sema all could have found the back of the net for Watford.

This is what we learned from the win for United – who are rated at 8/1 by Betfair to win the FA Cup this season – against Watford.

Scott McTominay is a rising star

Scott McTominay has established himself as an important player in the United team, and the Scotland international was superb against Watford. The central midfielder imposed himself on the match and was a force to be reckoned with. While Bruno Fernandes has been making all the headlines for the Red Devils this season, the importance of the 24-year-old cannot be undermined. According to WhoScored, the Scotsman has made 10 starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the process. Against Watford on Saturday evening, McTominay took one shot, played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 80.4%, won two headers, took 73 touches, attempted one dribble, and made two tackles, one interception and three clearances, according to WhoScored.

Dean Henderson is a class act

David de Gea may still be the first-choice goalkeeper at United, but Dean Henderson is fast emerging as a genuine competitor. The 23-year-old England international played well against Watford and made some good saves. The youngster has done well for the Red Devils when he has been called into action this season, and perhaps he will soon replace De Gea as the main guy between the posts.

Jury out on Donny van de Beek

Donny van de Beek is not having the best of times at United, and the Netherlands international was far from impressive on a rare start on Saturday. The 23-year-old midfielder showed great skills to put Mata in on goal on occasion and had a lot of possession in the opening minutes, but he did not really stand out. The 23-year-old needs a run of games to get back to the form that he showed at Ajax.