Bryn Morris' long-range strike in the 36th minute and Will Evans' close-range strike past Altay Bayindir in the 47th minute were not enough to earn Newport County a win, but the English fourth-tier side still managed to put Man Utd through a series of embarrassing statistics.
According to Opta, this is the first time since February 1996 that Man Utd have conceded two or more goals in an FA Cup match against a lower-league opponent. Before Newport, Sunderland were the last non-Premier League team to do so when facing the "Red Devils".
In addition, Newport are also the first fourth-tier team in 54 years to score 2 goals against Man Utd, after Northampton Town. These are all terrible statistics that have never appeared under many "Red Devils" coaches.
The mainstays returned but Man Utd still conceded 2 goals against the 4th division opponent.
Four goals from Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund have helped Man Utd reach the fifth round of the FA Cup in 9 of the last 10 seasons. However, the last time the "Red Devils" won this trophy was in 2016.
Speaking after the match, coach Erik ten Hag said: "We deserved to win. The whole team dominated the match. Maybe we just won a little later than expected. The match should have been decided by Alejandro Garnacho's shot. It's a pity the ball hit the post. Newport really just had to accept defeat."
Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes affirmed his determination to win the FA Cup title: "This cup tournament is really important for the fans and the club. Man Utd want to reach the final and win."
Meanwhile, coach Graham Coughlan said: "The stronger team won. Man Utd were very quick when they had the chance. When the score was 2-2, the ball bounced right to Antony. I was hoping to draw 2-2 with them, then play again at Old Trafford. The superior class helped Man Utd overcome the difficulties."
Minh Tu
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