Louis van Gaal is targeting FA Cup glory after Manchester United’s convincing 3-0 victory over a resilient Cambridge United in their replay at Old Trafford.
Cambridge briefly threatened the unimaginable when Tom Elliott hit the post before a minute had even passed but goals from Juan Mata, Marcos Rojo and James Wilson eased United into round five.
The Red Devils now face Preston North End in the last 16 and their Dutch boss is well aware that silverware could be just four games away.
“Every club in the FA Cup wants to win, we also,” the former Barcelona boss told the BBC.
“For the club, the fans and the coach and my staff, we want to win a title this year. The biggest chance is the FA Cup, but we still have to win four games to do that.
“We have to beat Preston and that will not be easy, they won away against a cup fighter like Sheffield United, so it will be difficult for us to win there.”
Following a poor showing in the original tie, Van Gaal took no chances this time as United made it one defeat in their last 16 games.
Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria all started against a side who currently sit 14th in League Two.
But it was Mata who opened the scoring, after traffic delayed the game by 20 minutes, prodding in Marouane Fellaini’s knock down from Di Maria’s delightful left-wing cross.
The tie was all but secured when Rojo headed in his first United goal just after the half hour following Van Persie’s deft chip.
The assist was the Dutchman’s first in the FA Cup since 2009 and he should have added a goal but missed the target when well placed.
However, Wilson’s low drive ensured the winning margin truly reflected the ease in which the 11-time winners progressed to round five.
By then it was damage limitation for Richard Money’s side, who are thought to have made almost £1million from the tie.
The money will cover the annual wages for a club whose starting XI, which included former United Champions League semi-finalist Luke Chadwick, cost nothing.
For Van Gaal it is now back to business, and the small matter of Champions League qualification with third-placed United facing a challenging trip to West Ham on Sunday.
Main image courtesy of MUTV via YouTube, with thanks.
