Holders Manchester United roared back into form with a commanding 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, avoiding any potential upset with ease with a much-rotated squad giving Jose Mourinho no cause for complaint.

On Saturday, United’s arch-rivals Liverpool had been humbled at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers and later, fourth-tier Wycombe Wanderers gave Tottenham Hotspur an almighty screw before the Premier League side managed to scrape through. And United had been in some indifferent form of late, having failed to win their last three games.

With one eye on a Premier League clash against Hull on Wednesday and a tie with defending champions Leicester coming up on the weekend, Mourinho chose to rest the likes of David de Gea, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba against the Championship side.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was afforded a rare start and he had the likes of Marouane Fellani, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney for company in midfield. Academy graduate Timothy Fosu-Mensah started at right back while fit-again Luke Shaw occupied the opposite wing and Sergio Romero was between the sticks.

Wigan, managed by Warren Joyce, are in the relegation zone in the Championship, but started brightly against the 12-time champions, who looked a little sluggish in midfield. Schweinsteiger and Fellaini in particular, were guilty of some laborious build-up play at times.

As the game progressed, however, United started to exert their influence and the two midfielders combined superbly to calm the home fans nerves with a simple yet effective move which culminated in a goal.

Schweinstieger was on the right wing when he was afforded time and space to swing in a deep cross, which the ‘one-man wrecking ball’ Fellaini met with a powerful header to give the hosts the lead a minute before the interval.

Chris Smalling then doubled United’s lead in 57th minute with a header from a Anthony Martial cross, not getting the cleanest of contact, but it was enough to beat Wigan keeper Jakob Haugaard, giving Mourinho some relief on the touchline.

While United goalkeeper Romero was tested at several intervals by the visitors, they were mostly routine saves and the Red Devils never truly looked in danger of conceding.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who started alongside Martial in attack, was guilty of quite a few glaring misses on either side of half-time but finally got his goal, with the duo launching a blistering counter-attack which left the visitors trailing in their wake.
Martial squared the ball with his left foot for Mkhitaryan to finish from close range in the 74th minute, ending any hopes of a Wigan comeback.

Schweinsteiger then improvised brilliantly to score a bicycle-volley from six yards to add gloss to the scoreline as United comfortably ran out winners on the night to progress to the fifth round.