Yeovil 0-2 Man United: United Cruise Into Round Four.
Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria scored the goals as Manchester United were made to work hard to beat Yeovil 2-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Having risen to third in the Premier League table of late, many expected Louis Van Gaal to rest a few key players but he named a strong line-up to face Yeovil at Huish Park.
Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Ander Herrera all started but it was the Glovers who made the better start in front of a capacity crowd in Somerset.
However, they were rarely able to trouble David De Gea and at the other end Jed Steer had only one save to make as James Wilson struck on the turn.
Van Gaal made a double change at the break and his side reverted to a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield and they started to take better control of the ball.
They still weren’t having it all their own way though and Yeovil will look back on Kieffer Moore’s chance on 55 minutes with some regret. Yeovil’s top scorer latched onto a misjudged header from Jonny Evans but he couldn’t sort out his feet fast enough and bobbled an effort straight at De Gea.
Ten minutes later, United were ahead. A misplaced Darren Fletcher pass bobbled towards Ander Herrera and the Spaniard swivelled to hit a dipping, first-time volley that flashed into the top corner from 25 yards.
Still Yeovil battled on and substitute Angel Di Maria headed off the line from Glovers captain Joe Edwards before sealing the game himself in the 90th minute.
Another Yeovil free kick saw them throw bodies forward and as United cleared, Rooney sprung Di Maria in behind and he sprinted away to dink over the advancing Steer.
Relief for Van Gaal as his first taste of FA Cup football ends in victory but he, and his side, leave Huish Park knowing they have endured a tough afternoon.