Summary
Credit to Yeovil, they were committed and organised in defence and had a chance to edge in front but blew it. Before Herrera’s wonder-strike, United didn’t look like scoring: Steer was rarely troubled. Once United had the lead though, they were able to kill the game with possession, and capitalised as Yeovil threw men forward.
Yeovil’s fans rightfully applaud their team. It’s selfie and shirt-swapping time.
Check out all of today’s FA Cup results here, the draw for the fourth round is on Monday night at 7.35pm GMT. Thanks for reading, and for your emails and tweets. Ta ra!
Full-time: Yeovil 0-2 Manchester United
It could have been so different if Moore had buried that chance at 0-0!
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90+2 min: The wind has visibly been knocked out of Yeovil. United could make it three, with a swerving shot from Herrera on the edge, but Steer is able to palm it away.
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Blackett wins the first ball from the Yeovil free kick and Rooney has time to get his head up. What follows next is clinical – nearly every Yeovil player is forward so Rooney hits a quiet magnificent pass lofted over Yeovil’s one-man defence. Di Maria races clear, and dinks it over the oncoming Steer. Game over.
GOAL! Yeovil 0-2 Manchester United (Di Maria 90)
There is that Danny Murphy goal I was talking about...
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88 min: Free-kick for Yeovil. They are throwing everyone forward for this, a set-piece looks like their best chance now.
87 min: Yeovil bring on two subs: Berrett for Dawson and experienced forward James Hayter on for Foley. Kitchen sink time.
86 min: United have heeded Giggs’s advice, they are keeping the ball. Yeovil’s midfield are knackered, and who can blame them.
82 min: It’s been a scrappy few minutes. In many ways, this game is reminiscent of the Yeovil v Liverpool FA Cup game back in 2004. Yeovil impressed in the opening stages, conceded a goal (Emile Heskey) just after the hour mark, before another goal by Danny Murphy killed the game as they pressed forward for an equaliser.
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80 min: Co-commentator Michael Owen keeps talking about “pass appreciation.” Anyone got any idea what that means?
78 min: Giggs comes off the United bench and shouts “keep the ball!” Yep.
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77 min: United just have to keep the ball now to tire and frustrate Yeovil but the away side are giving it away too easily. Blackett sends a hopeful and aimless ball forward which allows Nugent to collect and start another Yeovil attack.
@michaelbutler18 am I the only one who tinks LVG liks tinkering with his teams?how many times has he used 2 or more subs ?Tinker Van,anyone?
— Junior Kweku Mensah (@jnrabaimen) January 4, 2015
You have to say his tinkering has worked on this occasion. They’ve looked a lot better in this second half.
75 min: United counter-attack and McNair gets forward for the first time down the right hand side. It’s a low cross, which catches the Yeovil defence off-balance, and Rooney arrives late but his shot is skewed high and wide. Rooney looks to the heavens, you would have expected him to at least hit the target.
73 min: Herrera is dispossessed in midfield by Foley and he releases Moore, who is one-on-one with Smalling. There is no real intent with his dribble, and he is forced inside into traffic. If only he had been more direct with his running.
71 min: Eaves miscontrols on the left, but manages to win a corner off McNair. It is flicked on at the near post, and Edwards dives in for a header at the back post. Cleared off the line by Di Maria!
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69 min: Twumasi gets his feet in a muddle on the edge of his own box, and Di Maria pickpockets him before being brought down. Rooney is over the free kick, just to the left of the goal – we have seen him bury so many from here over the years, but he curls it over the bar. Poor.
66 min: Yeovil are not going to have to come out and attack, which could be very dangerous. Tom Eaves, on loan from Bolton. He was hyped as the next big thing in the lower leagues a few years ago when at Oldham but after his move to Bolton, it hasn’t quite happened for him. Standing at 6ft5in, Yeovil have a very large front pair (with Moore) to now aim for.
Fletcher probes on the edge of the area, his pass is half-intercepted but the ball falls to Herrera, who swivels on the turn and hits an dipping volley first time into the top right hand corner of the net. Steer had no chance, and United’s travelling fans go absolutely nuts. Van Gaal puffs out his cheeks in relief on the United bench.
Herrera is booked for his celebrations: he did a little Temur Ketsbaia kick at the advertising hoardings there and embraced the crowd.
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GOAL! Yeovil 0-1 Manchester United (Herrera 64)
WHAT. A. GOAL.
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60 min: Twumasi has got a dead leg and receives treatment, allowing his teammates to get a well-earned breather and drink. The right-back is back on.
58 min: Di Maria on for Falcao. The Colombian has had a poor game. United again shift their formation. Yeovil have dropped deeper and deeper into their half too, a worrying trend.
56 min: Terrible foul on Herrera by Edwards which is surely a booking, but again Pawson plays the advantage. He doesn’t however, come back and book the Yeovil captain when the ball goes dead. That’s a pretty shocking decision.
54 min: Huge chance for Yeovil! Ooooo, was that their moment?! Cross from the right is angled into the box, Evans manages to head his head on it, but is only able to flick it into the path of Moore, with Smalling off balance. Moore controls on his chest, and swing with his right on the six-yard box but the gets the connection all wrong! Easy save for De Gea. Head in hands time.
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51 min: Herrera is also looking a lot more assured in this formation. Rooney is clattered by Edwards but Craig Pawson plays a good advantage, with Blackett breaking forward, but his cross is just too deep for Wilson.
49 min: Mata gets his first touches and releases Falcao, but Arthurwoory again has the legs on him, and gets to the ball first.
47 min: Smith sends in a fantastic cross from the left to the back post, and Evans is forced to stoop to head out. That had real pace on it, which meant De Gea couldn’t come for it.
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46 min: United seem to have set up with a diamond in midfield. Fletcher at the base, with Mata and Herrera in front, and with Rooney at the tip.
Peeeep, we’re back underway!
Teams are back out, Jonny Evans and that man Juan (Mata) are coming on. Evans is on for Shaw, which suggests United are changing to a back four, while Mata is on for Rafael. Interesting changes, as the wing backs gave United a threat going forward in the first half. McNair is at right-back, Blackett at left back, with Evans and Smalling in the middle.
No changes for Yeovil as yet.
Gary Johnson: “Delighted so far. We’re shutting them down with a high press.”
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FA Cup third-round entertainment.
Yes, this may be from last year. Yes, this has nothing to do with Yeovil or Manchester United. But what a scramble.
Here’s an interesting little snippet to pique your interest.
Accrington sell commemorative tickets for a FA Cup third round game against Manchester United that never happened…
The game is crying out for Juan Mata. Would expect to see him on very soon, especially as Yeovil tire.
PICS: It's been arduous so far for Rooney, Rafael, Falcao, Herrera and co. Here's to a better second half. #mufclive pic.twitter.com/MONKAC8Cu2
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 4, 2015
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Half-time: Yeovil 0-0 Manchester United
Can Yeovil keep it up?
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45+1 min: Nope! Yeovil head clear, and the relief inside Huish Park is palpable. Edwards picks up the clearance and suddenly a counter-attack is on! Moore dribbles forward and has plenty of time and space to release an unmarked Dawson the right but he dawdles and Smalling recovers to squash the attack. A real chance wasted for the home side.
45 min: Rafael gets the better of Smith on the right, with Herrera’s cross deflected behind for a corner. For all of Yeovil’s endeavour in this first-half, it would be a suckerpunch to concede just before the break.
43 min: Herrera bamboozles Foley with a delicious turn and sets his sights on goal, but it’s dragged wide on his weaker left foot. He’s been very quiet this half.
39 min: Another long ball forces McNair to chase the ball back towards his own goal, and after failing to control it, the ball bounces up on his arm. That’s a blatent handball, but the referee gives nothing! Yeovil’s crowd (and Gary Johnson) go postal. McNair looks very sheepish (and bloody). Got away with one there, that’s exactly the kind of error Yeovil will have wanted to force but no luck.
36 min: Arthurwoorey is booked, as he tugs back Wilson on the byline. It’s maybe a little harsh on the defender, who has been magnificent so far. Chance for United from a set piece, Rooney is over the ball, but it’s well cleared by Nugent.
33 min: Falcao is the next attacker to be released, but his lack of pace is exposed, with Arthurworrey sliding in to make a magnificent tackle. Whatever you might think of Falcao, he’s definitely lost a yard or two since that knee injury. One of the best goals he’s scored was a one-on-one against Barcelona where he sprinted clear of the defence. Doesn’t look to have that in him now.
32 min: Over half an hour played, and United manage their first shot on target. It’s a weak effort from Wilson on his weaker right foot, easily collected by Steer.
30 min: United break with their first meaningful counter-attack, with Rooney releasing Rafael on the right. There are maybe five attackers breaking into the box, but Rafael instead attempts to cut in back to Fletcher on the edge, but his pass is woefully misplaced and Ralph is able to recover possession.
26 min: Rooney and Falcao are both dropping very deep to pick up the ball, with only Wilson the target. They are struggling to get any penetration here, Yeovil setting up with two banks of four. We’ll see how long the defensive intensity lasts, but Edwards and Foley have impressed in the opening stages with their tackling.
23 min: Looks like McNair is going to come back on. He’s sporting a flesh coloured bandage, and his first job is to head behind another cross. Yeovil are really applying some pressure, even if De Gea is yet to be seriously troubled.
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20 min: McNair and Moore clash heads pretty gruesomely as another one of these crosses arrive in the United box. Oof, that’s nasty, both players bloodied as they lie on the ground. The referee stops play. McNair looks to have come off worse, as Moore returns to his feet with a bandage on his head. McNair comes off the field with United down to 10, Evans is warming up on the sidelines.
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18 min: The corner is swung in, and Athurworrey gets above Blackett and the back post, but no! Rooney heads clear. The ball comes straight back, and United are forced to defend a succession of five or six crosses. United can’t get out of their own half!
16 min: Yeovil are playing percentages, launching missiles into the wide areas behind Shaw and Rafael and forcing the United players to turn on their heels, and put the ball out for a Yeovil throw. It’s a useful tactic, and Foley earns a corner.
14 min: Blackett is the latest United defender to come under pressure. Forcing an error in this young United backline is obviously high on Yeovil’s agenda. Gillett, playing just behind Moore is working very hard.
12 min: Falcao gets his first sniff of goal, latching onto a cross from the right, but his effort is deflected behind. He’s one of the best poachers around of course, as he showed against Stoke. Is there a touch of the Van Nistelrooy about him?
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10 min: Smalling hasn’t had the best of starts, his strong backpass putting De Gea under unnecessary pressure. The keeper rightfully gives him defender an earful. I’m going to put that down to Yeovil’s ‘high pressing’. Just like Bayern.
8 min: United have started to settle, with wing backs Shaw and Rafael getting forward well. There aren’t many teams in League One that play 3-5-2 so will be interesting to see how Yeovil adapt to United’s formation. Rafael breaks into the box and cuts it back to Wilson, who shoots on target but the ball is hacked clear by Twusami, then Foley. A whiff of desperation there.
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6 min: Chris Smalling makes two mistakes, firstly miscuing to give a cheap throw in away, then a deflection for a Yeovil corner. Easily claimed by De Gea.
4 min: As Van Gaal alluded to, the pitch is looking pristine, which you would think would suit United. Edwards picks the ball up 25 yards out and lets fly, it sails harmlessly wide.
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2 min: Yeovil work the line and from a throw in, Twumasi whips in a high cross towards Moore. De Gea claims the ball well, but is clattered by the big striker. I think that is what’s known as ‘letting him you know that you’re there.’
The teams are out. Yeovil’s captain and Manchester United fan Joe Edwards has lost the coin toss to Wayne Rooney, but the home side will kick off.
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Gary Johnson’s pre-match interview:
The boys can’t be thinking of selfies with Wayne Rooney, or swapping shirts. If you see anyone of my boys doing that, will you let me know?
Louis van Gaal meanwhile:
“It’s a sell-out, the pitch is good and there’s no wind.”
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Sir Alex Ferguson has just arrived by helicopter. Make of that what you will.
Picture of Sir Alex Ferguson arriving at Huish Park (via @ManUtd's Facebook page) #mufc pic.twitter.com/A8jNdx7kmd
— Alice McKeegan (@amckeeganMEN) January 4, 2015
Modern football stat alert.
Radamel Falcao earns the same amount of money in a day (£37,500) as the Yeovil earns in a day.
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Following their relegation from the Championship last year, Yeovil are really struggling in League One this season – they are rock bottom. Gary Johnson’s side have won just three times at home this season, but he’s still smiling, bless him.
BT Sport’s presenter for the day, Jake Humphrey, has already mentioned the words “magic” and “romance”. We are two minutes into the coverage here.
Today’s teams. Seems like LVG is leaving nothing to chance then.
Yeovil (4-4-1-1): Steer, Nathan Smith, Nugent, Arthurworrey, Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Ralph, Edwards, Foley, Dawson, Gillett, Moore. Subs: Berrett, Hayter, Leitch-Smith, Krysiak, Inniss, Eaves, Alex Smith.
Man Utd (3-5-2): De Gea, Smalling, McNair, Blackett, Da Silva, Ander Herrera, Fletcher, Shaw, Rooney, Falcao, Wilson. Subs: Evans, Di Maria, Mata, Januzaj, Lindegaard, Anderson, Lingard.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
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The last time Yeovil hosted a game of this magnitude was back in 2004, when Liverpool came calling in the third round, leaving Huish Park with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Emile Heskey and Danny Murphy. Yeovil released this song in the build up to the big game, which reached No36 in the charts…
Nothing
Preamble
Yeovil have previous. As a non-league team, 20 Football League clubs were slain by the Somerset club in the FA Cup, before they themselves became a professional outfit in 2003.
The most famous of these wins, of course, was a 2-1 win over Sunderland in 1949 – the match was voted in a 2005 FA poll as the “greatest ever giantkilling.” Top-flight Sunderland – known as the ‘Bank of England’ side because of how expensive their squad was – lost in extra time with their star player, Len Shackleton, making an error to allow Yeovil’s Eric Bryant to score the winner. Everyone in Yeovil went a bit potty for a couple of weeks before they were thrashed 8-0 in the next round by… Matt Busby’s Manchester United. Oh.
No matter how loud their garish headphones, or how much on-bus banter Louis van Gaal might stir up on their way to the West Country, there is no doubt United’s players will all be fearful of being the next Shackleton, and hopeful of emulating Busby’s boys.
Some will relish recalling that the last time United faced lower league opposition, back in August in the League Cup, they were battered 4-0 by MK Dons, just the third game of Van Gaal’s reign. LVG will surely ensure his players’ attitude is en pointe today, particularly as the FA Cup is, as he recently described it, “the shortest way to success.”
But for everyone not of an allegiance to the red half of Manchester United, for anyone that hasn’t included United as one of their ‘bankers’ on their accumulator, and for everyone hoping that the biggest upset of the round isn’t Rochdale 1-0 Nottingham Forest, it’s a good ol’ upset we want, yeah?
Kick off: 3.30pm
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