Man Utd beat Reading 3-1 at Old Trafford to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup thanks to goals from Casemiro and Fred.
Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to be nodding off in the first half. Casemiro’s contributions in the second will have been suitably stimulating for those in the cushy Old Trafford directors’ box.
In times of need, Manchester United still have a five-times Champions League winner to call upon in the opponent’s penalty area. It had to be the consummate Casemiro who ended Reading’s resistance.
The boys from Brazil broke through. Antony and Casemiro were United’s most consistent and creative performers before they combined in the 54th minute, the winger drifting inside and playing the ball into the channel for the onrushing Casemiro to clip over goalkeeper Joe Lumley.
A goal at the cost of £155million, Casemiro selflessly pointed to Antony. The winger crowned one of the most fulfilling weeks of his five months with United with another innovative assist. Since justifiably dubbed “predictable” by Gary Neville at Arsenal last week, Antony has been anything but. The Old Trafford compere announced he was the man of the match.
But it was Casemiro, again charging forward as he did for the heart-stopping equaliser at Chelsea in October. He is the most attack-minded defensive midfielder around. Casemiro delayed his loft so the goalkeeper Lumley would drop to the turf. Four minutes later, he whipped a second
