Manchester United have finally found their best attack but it still has to improve

Man Utd defeated Wigan 2-0 at the DW Stadium to advance to the FA Cup’s fourth round, but many opportunities were missed on the evening.

Fernandes and Dalot scored

The front three players for Manchester United displayed their potential on this particular night. Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund accomplished everything together, with the exception of scoring.

The trio had 16 of United’s 33 shots, but none of them found the back of the net. Although it is evident that this trio needs to be Erik ten Hag’s first choice, they haven’t played together frequently enough and have shown enough promise to be on a team that hasn’t scored enough goals this season.

This season, the United manager has been unable to field a reliable team due to a persistent problem of illness and injuries. Against Aston Villa, Garnacho, Rashford, and Hojlund looked excellent; however, Hojlund was sick at Forest. That day, Antony replaced him, but the Brazilian was sidelined due to injury.

This resulted in the re-emergence of a front three that had only started three games together this season: for 42 minutes versus FC Copenhagen, 68 minutes versus Luton, and that incredible 80 minutes versus Villa. Although Wigan Athletic in League One was a much simpler opponent, Garnacho, Rashford, and Hojlund occasionally tore them apart without finding the back of the net.

Although it is an area where they can’t afford to be so generous going forward, in the end, it didn’t really matter. In order to win the Premier League, United must be almost flawless, which will call for ruthlessness in front of goal.

For the time being, though, this team can look forward to a compelling fourth-round matchup with either League Two Newport County or National League Eastleigh. You would have certainly pardoned United for being a little nervous going into this north-west match. After being defeated by Nottingham Forest in their final 2023 match, this team was lacking confidence going into the third round weekend.

Then Ten Hag had to deal with the usual bad news from the medical department. With three academy graduates yet to make their debuts and Shola Shoretire back in the lineup, United had virtually no depth on the bench.

That nervousness may have increased in the first few minutes when a quick Wigan break revealed United’s soft spot. However, United never looked back after Andre Onana made the save against Thelo Aasgaard.

Diogo Dalot scored the only goal of the first half despite their 17 shots, curling in from the edge of the area to convert one of their more difficult opportunities. Although Wigan couldn’t keep up with United’s attack due to its speed and directness, the performance had shown a lot of promise.

Garnacho demonstrated his threat at right again, frequently rushing at Steven Sessegnon and willing to go outside and shoot crosses into the box. Although he was still a little inconsistent, Rashford posed a threat on the opposite flank.

Hojlund was a commanding presence in the penalty area, winning headers and generally attempting to outmuscle Charlie Hughes and Liam Morrison, but opportunities were few and far between. He sent a rebound from a Rashford shot that went wide from inside the six-yard box, and he also struck the bar with one header.

These top three include both quality and industry. Ten Hag cheered when Garnacho fought back to regain possession from Martial Godo ten minutes into the second half, demonstrating how good Hojlund’s workrate is.

The disappointment will come from Hojlund’s failure to build on his first goal in the country against Villa and Rashford’s failure to add to his goal against Forest. But as long as they stay healthy and available, this trio should be a mainstay of the team because of the encouraging attacking display.