Football news – Odion Ighalo double leads Manchester United into FA Cup quarter-finals

Manchester United cruised through to the sixth round of the FA Cup with a 3-0 victory over Derby County at Pride Park.

The home side started well, with Louie Sibley going close and United legend Wayne Rooney forcing an excellent save from Sergio Romero from a free kick. United then took command before half-time with goals from Luke Shaw and Odion Ighalo in quick succession giving them a comfortable lead.

United’s asserted their superiority further in the second half, dominating play and sealing the game when Ighalo thumped a rebound of his own shot into the roof of the net. Derby carved out a few chances of their own, with some nice touches of class from Rooney to set things in motion but could not finish with the same precision.

The victory secured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team a place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Norwich at Carrow Road on the weekend of 21/22 March.

Are Manchester United on the way back? It’s been a painful season at times for United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, lurching from crisis to mini-revival and back again, but the latest, sustained upswing in United’s fortunes might be evidence that they are heading towards better times more permanently. They are now unbeaten in nine in all competitions, progressing nicely in two cups and with a good chance at earning a Champions League qualifying place. With new signing Bruno Fernandes proving to be an instant success and Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba due to return to the team before the end of the season, the future is starting to look encouraging for this team.

He might later be denied the first goal, which looked to take a slight deflection off Jesse Lingard, but United’s left-back had an excellent game at Pride Park. Shaw was a constant threat from the left, overlapping and cutting in at will, and set up Ighalo for United’s second which virtually sealed the game.

Derby County (4-5-1): Roos 6; Bogle 7, Evans 6, Forsyth 6, Lowe 6; Knight 7, Sibley 7, Rooney 7, Bird 6, Lawrence 6; Waghorn 6

SUBS: Marriott 6, Shinnie 6, Whittaker 7

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Romero 7; Dalot 6, Lindelof 6, Bailly 6, Shaw 8; Fred 5, McTominay 6; Lingard 7, Fernandes 7, Mata 6; Ighalo 7

SUBS: Williams 5, Andreas 6, Martial 6

10’ CLOSE! Bogle wins the ball and tucks a lovely ball through to Sibley in the centre of United's half. He advances forwards and launches a dipping drive at goal, which whistles just wide of Romero's left-hand post.

18’ CLOSE! Rooney almost rolls back the years, whipping a free-kick over the wall from the left and forcing Romero to turn it around the post for a corner.

34’ GOAL! Derby County 0 Manchester United 1 (Shaw 34) Luke Shaw has put United ahead! He sets up a shooting chance for Lingard in the area, and it ricochets out to Fernandes whose shot is also blocked. The rebound falls to Shaw just inside the area on the left, and he hits a shot straight into the ground that then loops over Roos and into the far corner!

41’ GOAL! Derby County 0 Manchester United 2 (Ighalo 41) Now Shaw has an assist! He cuts in from the left and finds Ighalo neat the penalty spot. He controls it and then stumbles through two challenges, before dispatching a cool finish into the bottom corner past Roos.

50’ CLOSE! Rooney picks out Bogle on the right. Bogle whips a stunning cross in to the centre of the United area, where Waghorn rises to glance a header centimetres wide of the far post. Great move by Derby.

70’ GOAL! Derby County 0 Manchester United 3 (Ighalo 70) It's Ighalo again! He finds Mata with an angled ball into the Derby area. Mata cuts it back to Ighalo, whose initial shot is blocked but he absolutely buries the rebound into the roof if the net for the third.

89’ CHANCE! Nearly a hat-trick for Ighalo! Lingard finds him with a low cross to the penalty spot. Ighalo controls it perfectly but slices his shot into the air and over the bar.

90+1’ EXCELLENT SAVE! Rooney booms the free-kick at goal. It fizzes just below the crossbar, but Romero gets across to tip it over for a corner.