Manchester United v Reading player ratings: Casemiro 9, Antony 8; Ince 6, Carroll 3

Premier League club claim a 3-1 win at Old Trafford to advance to the FA Cup fifth round

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  MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: David De Gea – 6. United had 79 per cent of possession in the first half so he had nothing at all to do … until an important save on 45. Will be unhappy at the marking which led to Reading’s goal. Getty

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  Aaron Wan Bissaka – 7. Set up Antony on the right, fine move to set up Weghorst on 45. He’s doing alright – and United, with 11 straight home wins, are doing well. Getty

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  Victor Lindelof – 7. Solid at the back. Convincing, too. Better passing accuracy than any starter on the pitch. He’ll have bigger tests. AFP

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  Harry Maguire – 7. Eighteen days since his last start. Admitted he’s never been in this position before, but he did nothing wrong and everything right. Pushed up as United dominated in the first half, but, as he said, United needed to take their chances. Getty

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  Tyrell Malacia – 6. Pushed up in the first half but paused in the 45th minute and let Reading in with a chance to take the lead. Booked. AP

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  Casemiro – 9. Scooped United into the lead as Reading looked like they were holding on a little too much for comfort. His movement for that was sublime. Then scored a second three minutes later. A step ahead of those trying to mark him. Burst forward and won the ball to set up Antony on 21. Crossed for Weghorst on 45. Getty

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  Christian Eriksen – 6. Flashed a sixth minute free kick wide, then followed up on Rashford’s early free-kick as United pressed. A shot, which looked to be going in, blocked on 26. Getty

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  Antony – 8. Played well and Casemiro pointed to him having set up the opening goal. Looked the most likely to score in the first half. Curled a shot wide on 15 and then over on 21. Good play as he slipped Fernandes in on goal after 31, then he curled another wide himself. Missed his best chance on 86. Not his night. AFP

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  Bruno Fernandes – 6. Flicked a shot over on 27. Shot wide four minutes later after Antony set him up. Needed to convert some of the chances. Assisted Fred for the third. AP

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  Marcus Rashford – 7. Swerved a 14th minute free-kick on target. Celebrated yet another goal on 37. VAR stopped the celebration. Shot miles over on 47. Shame he didn’t score again. Getty

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  Wout Weghorst – 6. Thought he’d assisted Rashford for the first. VAR thought otherwise. Worked hard but Reading defended deep. Getty

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  SUBS: Fred (Eriksen 56’) – 7. Set up Casemiro almost immediately. Then he scored himself, a flick in front of the Stretford End who were soon singing his name. Getty

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  Alejandro Garnacho (Rashford 68’) – 7. Quick to show his tricky feet. Disappointed with his shot on target after 78. Set up Antony with a fine chance on 86. Getty

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  Facundo Pellistri (Fernandes 68’) – 6. More deserved minutes for the lively Uruguayan. Getty

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  Anthony Elanga (Weghorst 73’) – N/A. Getty

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  Kobbie Mainoo (Casemiro 73’) – N/A. Reuters

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  READING PLAYER RATINGS: Joe Lumley – 4. The Reading goalkeeper was saved by VAR after another clanger when he opted to scoop up Rashford’s strike from behind the line. Beaten all ends up by Casemiro’s blistering brace and Fred’s neat finish. AFP

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  Andy Yiadom – 6. Showed superb quality to wriggle out of the corner when he skipped past a red shirt before he was fouled by Weghorst which relieved the pressure. Rinsed by Rashford who turned on the afterburners (no match photo available). PA

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  Tom Holmes – 6. Held firm in a sturdy first-half performance as the hosts peppered the Reading penalty area, but his resistance was smashed to smithereens after the break, despite his best efforts. PA

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  Tom McIntyre – 7. Threw himself in front of everything that came his way, including a vital block to turn Weghorst's point-blank strike over the bar that kept the visitors on terms, before Eriksen became the next man to see his effort thwarted by the defender. Getty

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  Junior Hoilett – 6. Made a nuisance of himself as he pinched possession from Malacia in the box and managed to squeeze his shot away, but his effort was too close to De Gea who saved well. Substituted after the break following some heavy-handed treatment. Reuters

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  Mamadou Loum – 4. Not a performance to remember. Failed to have any impact as United’s midfield ran riot and he was withdrawn with just under half an hour to play. Getty

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  Jeff Hendrick – 5. The Irishman squandered his best opportunity as Reading failed to capitalise on a rare sight of goal, and he couldn’t make his experience count for the most part as United were dominant from the first whistle. AFP

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  Baba Rahman – 4. Completely ineffective. Not sure if he touched the ball in the first half as the hosts terrorised their Championship opponents. AFP

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  Tom Ince – 6. Picked off an early Casemiro pass and strode forward as Reading started brightly, but beyond that he was unable to have any real influence on the clash, although he twice breezed past the inexperienced Mainoo. AFP

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  Andy Carroll – 3. Hustled, bustled and outmuscled in the opening exchanges as he looked to impose himself, only to be dismissed for a series of cynical challenges. His decision to wear the No 2 shirt as a centre forward warranted a red card anyway. AFP

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  Lucas Joao – 5. Offered little as the Royals struggled to get anywhere near the United goal and he was substituted with just over 15 minutes to play. Lethargic at best from the striker, although he was starved of any real service. PA

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  Dean Bouzanis (Lumley 75') – N/A. Not something you see every day. The substitute ‘keeper helped Sutton United to the Papa John’s Trophy final last term and was thrown on for a 15-minute cameo here. He was unbeaten too! Reuters

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  Amadou Mbengue (Hoilett 69’) – 7. Had an instant impact as he powered home a consolation with a strong header to give Reading a glimmer of hope. AFP

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  Tyrese Fornah (Loum 62’) – 6. Given an earful by his manager after failing to pull the trigger with Maguire grounded. That would have set up a nervy finale with the scores at 3-1. Reuters

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  Michael Craig (Hendrick 75’) – 6. Provided some fresh legs in the middle as Reading summoned some fight late on (no match photo available). PA

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  Shane Long (Joao 75’) – 6. A few nice touches from the experienced forward who is still going strong at 36. PA

Brazil midfielder Casemiro scored twice as Manchester United beat second-tier Reading 3-1 to reach the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday but Marcus Rashford was denied a record.

Visitors Reading were riding their luck and holding on until Casemiro opened the scoring in the 54th minute, cleverly dinking the ball over goalkeeper Joe Lumley from Antony's pass.

The former Real Madrid player extended United's lead four minutes later with a fizzing shot from 25 metres.

Fred made it 3-0 with a backheel before Reading had former Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll sent off for a second yellow card, earned for a sliding tackle on Casemiro.

Reading, managed by former title-winning United midfielder Paul Ince, scored a consolation through Amadou Salif Mbengue.

Rashford thought he had become the first United player to score in 10 successive matches at Old Trafford when he netted in the first half but his effort was ruled out for offside by VAR.

Reading had almost taken the lead against the run of play just before the interval when Junior Hoilett had a great chance but his close-range shot was well saved by David de Gea.

There was some criticism when five-time Champions League winner Casemiro joined United in August with several pundits describing the move as a panic buy. But he has proved instrumental for United this season and was given a standing ovation after being substituted.

"He's done what he was brought in to do, He's a phenomenal player. You don't win what he's won without being a top player," United skipper Harry Maguire said.

"He's improved the team, the morale and the performance."

In the photo gallery above, Andy Mitten has provided the United player ratings from Old Trafford, while Liam Wheeler offers his verdict on Reading. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.