Erik ten Hag knew Wigan Athletic would ‘fight for their life’ in FA Cup showdown

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Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag admits he played the strongest team possible in the FA Cup third round tie with Wigan Athletic - expecting the League One outfit to ‘fight for their life’ in front of a sold-out crowd.

The Premier League side’s XI featured the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford on Monday evening.

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Wigan Athletic chief proud of his players despite Manchester United setback

And the 12-time winners proved too strong for Shaun Maloney’s outfit in front of a packed DW Stadium with a 2-0 result, with goals from Diogo Dalot in the 22nd minute and captain Fernandes converting from the penalty spot in the second half.

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Manchester United will face Newport County or Eastleigh in the fourth round of the FA CupManchester United will face Newport County or Eastleigh in the fourth round of the FA Cup
Manchester United will face Newport County or Eastleigh in the fourth round of the FA Cup

Latics number one Sam Tickle impressed in front of the cameras, with United producing 33 attempts on goal - 14 of those on target.

Following the victory, Dutchman Ten Hag said: "First of all, it's all about the win but first half, the way we played, the performance, how we worked the ball, how we made our runs, the investment in the final third, we created a lot of chances and that was pleasing to see.

“I think we should have scored more but the good thing is we created the chances.

"We have so many injuries and illnesses but still we put out a strong side. We had a good team, so we were confident before [and knew] we must win this game.

"You never underestimate any opponent, definitely not this side, you know that they will fight for their life because it's the game of their life. We took the game very good."

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