Manchester United 2-0 Reading: Mata and Lukaku secure FA Cup win

The good news for Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku was that they were in the team; the bad news was that it was FA Cup third round weekend, when Manchester United’s best players traditionally take a break.

That said, they both made their impact felt. Lukaku will leave best pleased, with a goal, 90 minutes under his belt and his first start under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Sanchez limped off with a muscle strain after 63 minutes having made his mark with the assist for Lukaku’s goal. And he did at least look engaged, which hasn’t always been the case in his short United career.

Romelu Lukaku strokes home after rounding the goalkeeper to double Manchester United’s lead on the stroke of half-time

The Belgian striker celebrates with Alexis Sanchez after scoring for the third consecutive game in a row on Saturday

Manchester United earned a first-half penalty given by VAR after Juan Mata was brought down in the box by Omar Richards

Mata made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Reading goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola the wrong way to put the hosts in front

The Spaniard celebrates with team-mate Scott McTominay after giving Manchester United a 22nd minute lead in the game

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE

MANCHESTER UNITED XI (4-3-3): Romero 7; Dalot 6, Darmian, 6 Jones 7, Young 6.5; McTominay 6.5 Fred 6.5 (Fellaini 60, 6) Pereira 6; Sanchez 6.5 (Rashford 63, 6), Lukaku 7, Mata 7.5 (Chong 60, 7)

Subs not used: Lindelof, Martial, Grant, Garner

Booked: Chong

Goals: Mata pen 22, Lukaku 45+4

READING XI (4-2-3-1): Jaakkola 7; Yiadim 6, Illori 6 (Aluko 46, 7), Moore. 6 Richards 6; Kelly, 6.5 Rinomhota 7; Harriott 7.5 (Meite 76, 6) Swift 7, McCleary 7 (Barrow 60 6.5); Loader 6

Subs not used: Gunter, O’Shea, Walker, East

Booked: Yiadom

Referee: Stuart Attwell

Romelu Lukaku springs the offside trap and rounds the goalkeeper to double the lead. CLICK HERE for more from MATCH ZONE

But though Solskjaer equalled Sir Matt Busby’s start as a United manager with five consecutive wins, it wasn’t an afternoon for harking back to glory days. The sixth against Tottenham, will tell us an awful lot more for this was very much the second string of United.

And the arresting point was that so few of these United reserves are youngsters; and so many are older players waiting for expensive contracts to end. That was a better indication of the task United have ahead of them and what Solskjaer and his successor have to change

Still, they negotiated a potentially troublesome hurdle comfortably with the help of VAR but also some wasteful finishing from Reading, who for a team in managerial flux, having recently appointed Jose Gomes, and without a win in 10 games, were surprisingly competitive.

That said, their end product was perhaps a truer reflection of their position, one of the bottom of the Championship.

If Andy Yiadem could have kept his head on 17 minutes rather than snapping at his finish from Garath McCleary’s cross and sending it high and wide, they might have taken the lead. That came three minutes before United did so.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named teenagers James Garner and Tahith Chong in the Manchester United matchday squad

Former Manchester United team-mates Solskjaer and John O’Shea were reunited on the touchline ahead of kick off

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was in the stands once again to watch Saturday afternoon’s game

Manchester United defender Phil Jones lands square on his face after being brought down by Reading’s Danny Loader

Sanchez, making his first start for Manchester United in nearly two months, takes a tumble under Andy Yiadom’s tackle

Manchester United defender Phil Jones is poised as Reading’s Callum Harriott looks to fashion an opportunity

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay was left reeling on his haunches after a challenge in the first half

Fred did well to get his foot up and touch a ball through to Juan Mata, who turned it back to Fred. As he did so, Omar Richards clumsily upended him. Meanwhile, Fred was turning the ball into the back of the net only to see the assistant referee’s flag raised for offside.

No matter, referee Stuart Attwell was consulting with the video referee over the Mata trip and after a long consultation awarded the penalty, which Mata dispatched decisively.

Yet the chance of the half was yet to come for Reading on 33 minutes, when Callum Harriott, breaking quickly down the right, played in Danny Loader. Rather than shoot, the 18-year-old elected to take the ball around Sergio Romero and saw his angle diminish and his big moment dissipate as the ball was squeezed out for a corner.

But, still, Harriott would shoot wide on 32 minutes and Yiadom’s strike from Harriott’s cross on 45 minutes required a sharp save from Romero.

Eventually, though the heavyweights came good. It was Sanchez’s lovely ball three minutes into first half injury time which released Lukaku. The Belgian had timed his run perfectly to beat offside and connect.

Reading defender Tiago Ilori lies stricken on the turf and was unable to carry on as the teams came out after half-time

Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer issues instructions to Spanish playmaker Mata

Brazilian midfielder Fred thought he had opened the scoring for Manchester United only to be denied by the offside flag

But VAR intervened to indicate that Mata had been fouled in the build up, and a penalty was awarded to the home side

Teenage winger Tahlith Chong replaced Mata to make his Manchester United debut with half-an-hour remaining

Sanchez had to be withdrawn in the second half on his return to the side with a suspected muscle strain

Then he did that thing at which he is so adept; he looked as though he had over-run the ball a little, enticing keeper Anssi Jaakkola to think he might get there; just as the keeper closed in, Lukaku stuck out a toe, touched it past him and finished from a tight angle. At 2-0 the game ought to have been over.

Yet even then, Reading contrived to stay in it. Jose Gomes, continuing his baptism of fire after a brutal Christmas period, made a tactical switch in bringing on Sone Aluko, brother of Eni, at half time.

And Aluko almost opened United up on 48 minutes, his quick feet and neat pass playing in Harriott, who had saw his clear striker on goal blocked by Romero. But it was evidence again that United were hardly an impregnable force.

Solskjaer even changed briefly to a diamond formation to prevent the Championship strugglers dominating possession. But the introduction of Marouane Fellaini, Marcus Rashford and especially Tahith Chong saw the formation revert bacto to 4-3-3 and the mood switch briefly in United’s favour.

The debut for the 19-year-old Ducthman, born in the Dutch Caribbean, with his distinctive flowing hair, lifted Old Trafford. This was a textbook Alex Ferguson move, blooding a youngster to change the dynamic of the crowd and thus, hopefully, the game.

Chong looked briefly exciting and picked up a yellow card but in reality the game was playing out to a predictable conclusion.