Unconvincing Win For Man United

Wayne Rooney converts a late penalty that extended Manchester United’s lead over Preston North End to 3-1.

PRESTON, England — Three observations from Manchester United’s 3-1 come-from-behind win over Preston North End in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday.

1. United set up Arsenal tie but don’t convince

Louis van Gaal likes to boast that he secured silverware in his first season in charge of Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich — he neglects to mention that he didn’t at AZ Alkmaar. He still retains the chance of extending that impressive record at the helm of elite clubs but Manchester United will have to play rather better to win a quarterfinal against Arsenal, let alone the FA Cup.

This was another of those performances that make a mockery of United’s seemingly fine run. They have lost only once in 19 games but trailed to Preston North End for 18 minutes when the League One team deserved their lead. Belatedly, United rallied. Ander Herrera levelled, Marouane Fellaini converted Antonio Valencia’s cross at the second attempt and Wayne Rooney dived for and converted a penalty to book their place in the last eight.

Once again, United papered over the cracks with the result. Van Gaal named a starting 11 that cost a quarter of a billion pounds but, until Valencia and Fellaini combined for the crucial second, only Angel Di Maria actually excelled. The Argentine carried the ball deep into enemy territory time and again, showing the ambition to create an opening, while many of his teammates seemed devoid of intent and invention.

Rooney, granted a more advanced role, scored from his first shot on target in 2015 and ended his longest goal drought since 2006 by winning and converting a penalty, but was nevertheless below his best. Radamel Falcao was anonymous in attack and his increasingly ignominious United career took another turn for the worse when, with a goal required, he was replaced by Ashley Young.

The Colombian has failed to score in three games against lower-division opposition and never looked like breaking his duck. Preston goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann was virtually untroubled for the first hour while his colleagues scored the goal that threatened to bracket them alongside Bradford and Middlesbrough among this year’s great giant-killers.

United have diced with danger throughout this unconvincing FA Cup run. Yeovil’s Kieffer Moore and Cambridge’s Tom Elliott had the chances to put their sides ahead. Preston’s Scott Laird took his. Laird is a left-back who was once on loan at Tiverton Town and his CV is suitably improbable for a scorer against United but his drilled shot took a deflection off Valencia and went under David de Gea.

For once, the Spaniard should have done better. It has been a theme of United’s season that De Gea has bailed his teammates out time and again. This time he couldn’t but Van Gaal’s rescue acts came in the shape of two players identified by a former Preston manager. David Moyes tried to buy Herrera and did sign Fellaini. Perhaps Van Gaal owes his much-maligned predecessor a debt of gratitude after all.

2. Herrera takes his chance

It was a day of unusual occurrences. United hadn’t faced Preston since 1972. And if Herrera’s 90-minute appearances aren’t quite as infrequent, many waited for the day when Van Gaal would turn to one of the most expensive players in United’s history. This was it. The lesser-spotted Spaniard, an exotic creature who is never normally found on the pitch at the beginning of games, was chosen in the initial 11 for only the third time since October.

Perhaps, after scoring a glorious goal against Yeovil, he was deemed United’s League One specialist. If so, it represents something of a comedown for a 28.8-million-pound signing. Nevertheless, he maintained his 100 percent record against third-tier opposition: two games, two goals, the most recent squeezed in after he was found by Young.

Ander Herrera celebrates scoring the equaliser against Preston in just his third start since October.

Maybe it will prompt a rethink. Yet even as Herrera was given a rare chance, it was in the wake of a vote of no confidence. Van Gaal had said a central midfielder is his main target in the summer transfer window. The implication is that Rooney has been forced into midfield because of Herrera’s failings.

Until he found the net, the Spaniard struggled to reverse that perception. One particularly lame pass found the unmarked Chris Humphrey, Preston’s right wing-back. Understandably, his wasn’t the performance of a player full of confidence. Yet his goal return now stands at four in eight starts for United. Scoring is handy habit to have and, given the inability of Moyes’ central midfielders to find the net last season, Herrera has provided some evidence of why he was brought to the club, even if he is often denied the opportunity to show more.

3. Same old Kevin Davies

There were 21 players with a number on their back in the first half. None was really necessary for the exception. Kevin Davies is instantly recognisable. For 15 years, he was one of the most familiar figures in the Premier League. Now, for those who don’t spend much time studying the third tier, he represents the big name in the Preston team. Joe Garner is the top scorer. Davies had top billing for many a neutral.

The old warhorse was first an FA Cup semifinalist in 1997. Even for Davies, it is almost half a lifetime ago. Then he was Chesterfield’s fleet-footed dribbler, a role he has long abandoned to torment defences in other ways. Few such old-fashioned, uncompromising strikers remain and he displayed the aerial expertise and the chest control to give Marcos Rojo some difficulties.

The tactic of aiming diagonal balls at Davies was devised by Sam Allardyce, now United’s accuser in the long-ball wars. It remains a legitimate ploy, not a bully-boy approach. In any case, Davies has always offered a physicality on the ground as well. He picked up his traditional booking for bundling Herrera over and could have collected a second for a challenge on Chris Smalling.

Kevin Davies was lucky not to be sent off after committing a couple of bookable tackles.

The caution came on an occasion when he retreated into midfield as United had the ball. Davies has the footballing brain to adapt to circumstances; like Fellaini, he has always been much more than just a pair of razor-sharp elbows.

What he never really brought in copious quantities and now barely offers at all is goals. He has only scored once in the last 12 months — even Falcao has struck more often — but Davies could never be judged on goals alone. His more prolific partner Garner darted around Davies, looking for the openings his hold-up play created.

Having eschewed diplomacy in his pre-match assessment of United, by claiming their players weren’t enjoying life under Van Gaal, Davies did his best to make it more miserable but, nearing his 38th birthday, his FA Cup career is probably over.

Richard Jolly is a football writer for ESPN, The Guardian, The National, The Observer, the Straits Times and the Sunday Express.