Manchester United Fan View: 3 things learned from FA Cup win over Brighton

Manchester United will be play Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the FA Cup as they completed an important 2-0 victory against Chris Hughton’s Brighton at Old Trafford. Following the fixture, the Red Devils have ended the week on a high note before the international break.

Despite the fact that Jose Mourinho’s men are now out of the Champions League and have no chance of winning the Premier League, United still have an opportunity of achieving a major trophy before the end of the campaign.

Here are the three things we learned in United’s latest win in the FA Cup…

Huge result, but disappointing performance overall

Most football fans would agree that they would prefer an unconvincing win over a solid performance that results in either a draw or a loss. However, for a club like Manchester United, the standards are massively different, as you expect a strong showing as well as a persuasive victory. This was not the case in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, as Brighton were very comfortable whilst in possession and were not afraid to create constant chances in the final third of the pitch.

AS IT HAPPENED: Manchester United v Brighton

READ MORE: Lukaku and Matic book semi-final spot

READ MORE: Matic was an island of personality – Mourinho questions United mentality

After embarrassingly leaving the Champions League following the defeat to La Liga side Sevilla over two legs, many supporters, including myself, were hoping for an instant reaction from the manager as well as the players. Since this was not the case, the outcome of the fixture was not mentioned with a lot of praise, due to the fact that United were less active than Brighton on and off the ball, but were more clinical when it came to the chances that needed to be converted.

Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic come up with another dominant display

Jose Mourinho has quite often been questioned about the signings he makes and whether he gets the best out of them or not. On the other hand, Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku have been very consistent and top notch from the start of the season. If it wasn’t for both, United would barely be in the top four and would have struggled in a lot of games away from home.

Matic has proven to be an individual warrior, where he regularly does his duty of snuffing out the danger in his own half, as well setting his team on the counter-attack. Meanwhile, Lukaku has been unbelievable, as he has directly been involved in over 30 goals across all competitions, despite playing in a defensive set-up that has no natural wingers on the flanks. Once the campaign comes to an end, both Lukaku and Matic will be highly appreciated by the Manchester United fanbase.

The Red Devils’ experience within the domestic cups has proven to be more than important

On paper, Manchester United are only two victories away from lifting the FA Cup. Over the last couple of seasons, the Red Devils have a lot of experience when it comes to the domestic cups, having won the League Cup last season, as well as the FA Cup the campaign before that. At the end of the day, the experience needs to be met with the important mentality that helps the manager and the players to be on top of their game.

READ MORE: Lukaku: A lot of players will join Manchester United next season

READ MORE: Mourinho accuses Manchester United of being scared

READ MORE: Mourinho delivers stinging Shaw criticism

There’s no doubt that winning the FA Cup is easier said than done, given that both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are still in the competition. However, it’s best to not forget that an aggressive and motivated Manchester United side are more than capable of beating any side on the day when it matters the most. Until then, Mourinho and his assistants will need to come up with a plan on how to end the 2017-18 season with at least one silver trophy in the club’s cabinet.