Of all the places to start his Manchester United career, Alexis Sánchez did so in the FA Cup fourth round at Huish Park, where the highest-paid player in Premier League history was kicked up in the air, booed by the locals and finally sent home with the sponsors’ man of the match award.
A double FA Cup winner, Sánchez knows this competition as well as any Englishman and, given his route to the top from a small town in northern Chile, there is nothing for him to fear at a League Two stadium on a chilly January night.
Even so, it is clear that the stakes have been raised with his move from Arsenal to United, and he is under greater scrutiny than ever before. He came up with two assists and Darren Way, the Yeovil Town manager, talked in awe of a “world-class performance”.
Jose Mourinho substituted his Chilean with around 19 minutes remaining and Sánchez's patience wearing thin with some of the treatment meted out. Mourinho said that a first-half foul on Sánchez by defender Nathan Smith should have been a red card, but he understood why referee Paul Tierney had been so reluctant to do so early in the game.
Victory was never in doubt for United, even with a team that had 10 changes from the side that beat Burnley last Saturday, and Yeovil struggled to get close.
Marcus Rashford was gifted a goal just before half-time when Thomas James, the Yeovil full-back, simply failed to realise how near the forward was to him and had the ball taken off his toe just yards from his own goal.
Goals from Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku seal Manchester United passage to the fifth round of the FA Cup in Somerset
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- Take a look at the highlights from the game in this one. Alexis Sanchez, of course, making his debut for Manchester United after signing with them. And this is the pitch at Yeovil, not the best.
- Not the best, certainly, but one that Alexis Sanchez showed well on in his debut for Manchester United. Here, this one he sets up Scott McTominay who has a good stirke, and this is just finding its way into the corner. It's a wonderful save from the goalkeeper to keep that one at 0-0. And then, good old fashioned English tackle here. Welcome to Yeovil.
- You know, a lot of defenders said he actually got the ball.
- Alexis from a long way out. This one was comfortable for the goalkeeper, but he was leading at half time, Alexis Sanchez, in passes, touches, and shots for United. And he actually plays this pass to Rashford that lead to the goal.
- He was excellent all over the field. Again, defenders let the ball drift away from them, and Rashford needed that goal for his competence. Poor Tom Jones, gonna-- name in lights here. He doesn't get back quick enough, then when he realizes the ball's played in behind him, just clear your lines, then you could argue with a goalkeeper afterwards. You don't get that sort of time, and put that away. You gotta learn from your mistakes.
- Didn't have the best of days, young James, did he? And this one-- I just love how Alexis Sanchez just drags this ball inside, and creates the space out wide then for Ander Herrera who just smashes that one home with the left foot. It's a good strike, and you'll just see here-- here is James again. He gets sucked inside, two runners outside of him, late into the path. It's a well-timed pass from Alexis, yet again, and Herrera with the second.
- Yeah, standing ovation. I though he was excellent. Everything you'd expect from an experienced player. He had energy, getting on the free kicks, corners, a class act. And again, when you can bring the quality that they have to come-- and I thought they were ruthless, as Stewad rightly said. Going forward, always trying to create chances, and there's the-- he's like the FA Cup king. He likes his competition for Manchester United, Lingard. They keep on backing off, four of them around them, and he tucks it away. There just seems to be a good feeling about the club, a good mood. And whether that's Sanchez coming in, because look at the red shirts going forward again.
- And Lukaku, who initially falls over his role that makes all the way up from the back and it's a confident finish from the big man, the Belgian striker. Lukaku on the score sheet again, and just--
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Yeovil 0-4 Man Utd AS IT HAPPENED: Alexis Sanchez stars on debut in comfortable FA Cup win THAT’S ALL FOLKS Thank you for joining me tonight. You’ll all be able to say that you shared this very special Alexis Sanchez debut with me… lucky you! I’ll be back again tomorrow for more FA Cup action! 22:05: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: "These matches are difficult if the attitude is not correct. In the first half they gave us a difficult time, pressing and aggressive on the ball and on the shinpads. I could hear Darren Way on the touchline, he knew what he was saying, they were organised. "But in the second half we had control of the game and had more space and more quality, we killed the game. "Alexis Sanchez is a fantastic addition, everyone is happy that he comes. Good players want good players. The question is always which one is going to be left out, it is not about that for us. "We have a fantastic group of attacking players and he is another one with more maturity and experience. His choice for the second goal is a choice that a player like Marcus Rashford is too nervous to make that kind of decision. He brings maturity and class." 22:00: Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera: "We had to work very hard, it's not easy to come here. The passion they put in for every ball made it tricky but we took it very seriously. "Alexis Sanchez can play everywhere, he's fantastic. The attitude he shows, he fights for every ball. He's a star and it's amazing to have him with us. This is a team and today we did it well."
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21:55: Jesse Lingard: "Our attitude was spot on, it was always going to be tough. We adapted well to the ground and all made an impact. The FA Cup is very important, it's great to win trophies, that's what we are here for." YEOVIL 0-4 MANCHESTER UNITED FT: And that’s that. Jose Mourinho’s side have cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a thumping 4-0 win over League Two Yeovil. The Red Devils played some good stuff, but I think tonight will be remembered for Alexis Sanchez making his debut. And it was a pretty tidy one. YEOVIL 0-4 MANCHESTER UNITED - LUKAKU 93: It's a perfect ball from Rojo and Lukaku smashes in Manchester United’s fourth in the dying seconds. 91: Alexis Sanchez has been voted Man of the Match tonight. Yeovil’s official Twitter account aren’t very impressed with that decision. They tweeted: “Alexis Sanchez is announced as man of the match. Not sure who picked it but that's a commercially-driven decision if ever there was one!” Burn.
#Alexis7 is announced as man of the match.
Not sure who picked it but that's a commercially-driven decision if ever there was one!#MUFC #YTFC — Yeovil Town FC (@YTFC) January 26, 2018
YEOVIL 0-3 MANCHESTER UNITED - LINGARD 89: Jesse Lingard is kryptonite for tired legs. The substitute makes it three with a thumping drive into the corner. Surely Jose Mourinho won’t be dropping him to make room for Alexis Sanchez, right? 89: Close! Almost a dream entrance for Gomes, but the teenager hits the side-netting after beating his marker. 88: There’s not too much happening in the closing stages. The second goal killed any potential comeback from the League Two side, who now look content to keep it at 2-0. A final change of the night for Yeovil as Wing is replaced by Smith. Young Angel Gomes, 17, replaces Marcus Rashford, who feels like he’s been around for years now! 85: McTominay is yellow carded for a foul on Zoko. 83: Rashford slips it through to Lukaku, but the striker was never getting a good connection on that. The ball runs out of play. 81: That could have made things interesting. Wing takes aims from just outside the area, stinging the palms of Romero.
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78: Lingard almost nets with his first touch, but winger can’t connect with Herrera’s forward pass. 75: That’s the end of Alexis Sanchez. No, Yeovil haven’t injured him, but Jose Mourinho clearly wanted to protect the Chilean. Jesse Lingard replaces him. 72: Jordan Green is being replaced by new recruit Alex Fisher, who drove nine hours to be here today. He met his team-mates 15-minutes before kick-off... 70: Operation ‘smash Alexis Sanchez to pieces’ continues to progress nicely. The Chilean is down again clutching his ankle but he’s fine to continue. Jose Mourinho is raging on the sidelines. I wonder if this will affect his post-match cider with Yeovil boss Darren Way. 69: Tactical change for the visitors. Romelu Lukaku is playing down the middle with Marcus Rashford on the right and Alexis Sanchez on the left. 66: Where’s the mercy, Jose? Mourinho replaces Juan Mata with Romelu Lukaku. Good luck, Yeovil. 64: United have a third goal disallowed, as Juan Mata is called offside after poking home Darmian's low cross. 63: Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in 15 goals in 15 appearances in the FA Cup (eight goals and seven assists).
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YEOVIL 0-2 MANCHESTER UNITED - HERRERA 62: Ander Herrera scored here three years ago, and he’s done it again tonight on his 150th appearance for Manchester United. Alexis Sanchez is again the architect. He plays it over to the Spanish midfielder, who drills it across Krysiak and into the net. 61: Baffling how Manchester United haven’t doubled their lead. Luke Shaw steams into the area and sees two goalbound efforts blocked. United fans want a penalty when Mata is bundled to the floor, but referee Paul Tierney isn’t interested. 58: Sorry there’s little variety in out pictures tonight. The photographers have clearly been given one assignment tonight - take snaps of Alexis Sanchez. First change of the night for the hosts as Brown replaces Bird. 55: I’ve not updated you with the happenings at Hillsborough. Sheffield Wednesday are now 3-0 up against Reading. George Boyd got the latest.
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53: Woodwork! Mata receives the ball in a wide position and his cross clips the crossbar and goes out of play. 51: It doesn’t feel like it will be too long before United grab their second. Rashford almost got his brace after making himself a few yards before seeing a shot deflected wide. 48: Another crunching tackle goes in on Sanchez. Sowunmi booked this time. I’m sure Jose Mourinho will have a thing or two to say about that later. YEOVIL 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED 45: We’re back underway folks. No changes at the break. TWITTER ROUND-UP Josh: Martin Keown hammering Sanchez at every turn on commentary. You can imagine him in the gantry on the verge of tears, wishing he’d never got that tattoo or named his youngest son Alexis. Rachael: Martin Keown sounds so sad commenting on the goal. So SAD that fella! Lloyd: Glad to see Michael Carrick playing after announcing his retirement. What a club legend, and glad we will stay with the club at the end of his playing career.
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YEOVIL 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED HT: After a fairly uneventful 60 seconds of additional time, referee Paul Tierney blows for half-time. The League Two side have been excellent for large parts but one mistake will be punished against Premier League opposition. Marcus Rashford’s smart finish and about £1bn separates the sides. 44: Marcus Rashford is the fourth different Manchester United player to score 10 or more goals in all competitions in 2017/18 (with Lukaku, Lingard and Martial); Manchester City are the only Premier League team with as many (also four). ONE MINUTE ADDED TIME 42: Your heart goes out to Tommy James. He looks shell-shocked. His colleagues all went over afterwards to console him.
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YEOVIL 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED - RASHFORD 40: Painful! After all their hard work, Yeovil have been undone by a sloppy mistake in their own penalty area. Marcus Rashford plays a neat one-two with Alexis Sanchez before capitalising on James’ indecision to sweetly lift the ball over Krysiak. 39: Alexis Sanchez isn’t having his best game. The Chilean is guilty of trying a little bit too hard and trying to force things. He looks to make a fool of me but after jinking his way into the area, drags it wide of the post. 37: Danger! Michael Carrick looks mystified that referee Paul Tierney has given a free-kick against him. It’s just outside the area and could be Yeovil’s best chance of the match. James steps up… Sergio Romero punches clear. Little bit tame. 34: There’s a huge cheer from the Yeovil fans as Alexis Sanchez’s crossfield pass goes straight out of play. Feisty bunch these lot as they start singing: "what a waste of money!" A loose ball falls to Ander Herrera, who strikes it miles over the bar.
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31: Bosh! Nathan Smith goes into the book for a crunching challenge on Sanchez. Welcome to Somerset… Anyway, Alexis has his first proper chance from the resulting free-kick. It’s about 25-yards from goal but Krysiak easily deals with it. 28: Manchester United are shifting through the gears now. Alexis Sanchez jinks his way past a couple of Yeovil defenders before squaring it to McTominay. The youngster drills one goalwards but Krysiak makes an excellent save. 25: Marcus Rashford uses his pace to cause Yeovil all sorts of problems. He darts into the area but he’s over-run it a little and the ball trickles out of play. 22: Quick update from Hillsborough, where Sheffield Wednesday are 1-0 up courtesy of a goal from Nuhiu. 20: Oooohhhh! Yeovil are so close to making the breakthrough. Sowunmi's header is claimed by Romero after a wicked free kick from Gray. Sanchez then carries the ball down the other end but nobody’s in the middle to convert his cutback. 18: Juan Mata's ball to the back post is nodded goalwards by McTominay. Sowunmi hacks it clear for a corner, which goalkeeper Krysiak claims. Looks like Alexis is on set-piece duty for the visitors. 15: Chaos in the Manchester United penalty area! Gray’s corner is swept in but Sowunmi can't quite get hold of the ball and Rojo clears.
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12: That was nervy for Jose. Green, who was stacking shelfs in a supermarket three years ago, speeds into the box and forces Romero into a stop with his legs. 10: Does anyone know why Yeovil are booing Alexis Sanchez? Has there been some beef between the two that I’m not aware of? “You dropped a tenner, Alexis," is the chant. 7: Very good start for the hosts. They are playing at a high tempo and harrying United all over the pitch. Don’t burn yourselves out, lads. 5: Alexis watch! He’s not actually done anything yet but nobody had mentioned his name in three minutes. He’s started on the left wing. 3: Ouch! I guess that’s one way of starting an FA Cup fourth-round tie. We’d barely started before Zoko smashed into Rojo and collected a booking. YEOVIL 0-0 MANCHESTER UNITED 1: We’re off folks! I forgot to mention that it’s Jose Mourinho’s 55th birthday today. BBC reporter Dan Walker presented him with a bottle of cider as a present, but Jose said that he would never try it! Cheek, eh?
TWO-MINUTE WARNING 19:53: We’re almost underway folks. Jose Mourinho says he wants the FA Cup to have a very special night, but would rather it be tomorrow or Sunday. YEOVIL vs MANCHESTER UNITED 19:50: Quick reminder of tonight’s starting XI’s. Yeovil XI: Krysiak, James, Sowunmi, Nathan Smith, Dickson, Green, Wing, Bird, Gray, Zoko, Surridge. Subs: Connor Smith, Browne, Maddison, Gobern, Whelan, Santos, Fisher. Manchester United XI: Romero, Darmian, Lindelof, Rojo, Shaw, Ander Herrera, Carrick, McTominay, Mata, Rashford, Sanchez. Subs: Lukaku, Smalling, Lingard, Young, Matic, Joel Pereira, Gomes. Referee: Paul Tierney.
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TRUE PRO 19:45: Now THIS is a story. New Yeovil signing Alex Fisher, who signed from Motherwell today, has driven down from Scotland today. After a nine-hour journey, he arrived at the stadium at 18:45 and was told that he’s got a place on the bench tonight! LIFE AND DEATH 19:40: Yeovil boss Darren Way is currently telling his story about nearly losing his life in a high-speed car accident. It’s really emotional stuff to listen too. Fingers crossed his side can do themselves proud. ELSEWHERE… 19:35: I’ll forgive you if the other FA Cup match slipped your mind. Sheffield Wednesday are hosting Reading at Hillsborough, and there’s about 12 people watching…
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TWITTER ROUND-UP Rob: Darren Way is an absolute top bloke and has been through so much, personally. You and you're team have earned this special night. Enjoy every minute of it! Steve: In honour of tonight’s televised game I think I’ll do my own half and half thing. Glass half full with JD and the other half Coke should do just fine. A couple of them and the game might seem remotely watchable. Ducker: Buzzing for this game! Alexis Sanchez making his debut tonight. Let's have it hat-trick, lad! WHEN YEOVIL BROKE THE BANK OF ENGLAND 19:20: Remember the year 1949? Me neither. But I’ve heard it was an absolute banger to use the language of the era… Yeovil, who are struggling near the bottom of Two, once completed one of the biggest upsets in the history of the FA Cup when they beat top-flight Sunderland It doesn’t sound like much of an achievement now, but Sunderland's spending had seen them labelled the "Bank of England club,” while Yeovil were in the Southern League.
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GET THE DRINKS IN! 19:15: Yeovil boss Darren Way would love to toast an FA Cup shock at Huish Park by sharing a glass of cider with Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho. I wouldn’t had your breath, Darren. The Glovers are the lowest ranked side left in the competition, currently sitting fourth bottom of League Two. Regardless of the team Mourinho brings to Somerset, it would be a seismic result should Way's side produce an upset. Bristol City boss Lee Johnson had bought a £450 bottle of Barca Velha red wine to share with the Portuguese coach when they met in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup in December. Way accepts it is probably a tall order, but hopes to be able to offer the United boss something different should they get a chance to share a drink afterwards. He said: "I'm going to probably go one step further and give him both options, so I'll try and find a nice bottle of wine and somebody's actually sourcing that, who I trust, Domenico of Tamburino's (restaurant in Yeovil). "I want to make sure that we can offer him a good Somerset cider of Thatchers, because he's coming down to Somerset, so it's important that he is actually privy to what we drink down here."
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EARLY BIRD… 19:10: These Yeovil fans are eager. There’s still about an hour until kick-off and the home stands are already full! 10/10 for commitment, 0/10 for style. GOLDEN GOAL 19:05: I’ve heard it all now. Alexis Sanchez will score his first goal for the Red Devils after just 68 minutes, according to the boffins at spread-betting firm Sporting Index. Sanchez hasn’t traditionally waited long to impress his new fans when joining a new club – though he has never scored on his debut for any of his European teams. Great bet. Where can I lose my money?
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MEAN MACHINE 19:00: “Referencing a terrible 2001 movie about prisoners playing football featuring Vinnie Jones, Jamie?” Damn right. I just wanted to let you know that Manchester United have won all three of their previous FA Cup ties against Yeovil by an aggregate score of 13-0. ‘HE LOVES TO PLAY’ 18:55: Jose Mourinho has been speaking to the BBC ahead of tonight’s clash. When asked about Alexis Sanchez, he responded: “Alexis Sanchez had a couple of training sessions with us. “He was not in his best condition but we think the best way for him to adapt and recover his normal fitness is to play. He loves to play and wants to play. For us it is not about Alexis it is about the match and the FA Cup. The FA Cup can have an incredible day tomorrow, but hopefully not tonight. "I love the feeling of the Cup but I love the fact we have travelled far and brought Manchester United to a place we are not coming often. We were speaking about it [a new deal] for quite a time but no pressure as the club know clearly that I want to stay. This is where I want to be and where I love to be."
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TEAM NEWS - MANCHESTER UNITED 18:50: As previously mentioned, new signing Alexis Sanchez has been named in the starting line-up. I bet he always dreamed of playing alongside Scott McTominay… Juan Mata is the only survivor from the Manchester United team which beat Burnley. The other highlight is the return of Michael Carrick in midfield after a four-month absence from the starting XI. Regular first-team players like Jesse Lingard, Romelu Lukaku and Ashley Young are among the substitutes if things go pear-shaped. YEOVIL vs MANCHESTER UNITED 18:45: Jose Mourinho has made lots of changes for tonight’s clash but Alexis Sanchez making his debit has stolen the headlines. Manchester United XI: Romero, Darmian, Lindelof, Rojo, Shaw, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, McTominay, Sanchez, Rashford. Subs: Pereira, Smalling, Young, Gomes, Lingard, Matic, Lukaku.
ALEXIS STARTS 18:43: Gary Lineker has gone and ruined the surprise folks. He’s broken the news via Twitter that Alexis Sanchez does indeed start for Manchester United tonight. Debut against Yeovil in the FA Cup fourth round - a night he will never forget… BEFORE WE GET STARTED… 18:40: I think we need to address the elephant in the room. I’ll let you decide what I mean by that… Yes, I’m referring to Arsenal’s imminent signing of President Donald Trump. Die-hard Gunners supporter Piers Morgan has decided to take recruitment into his own hands by asking Trump to replace Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager. He tweeted: “The moment I invite President Trump to be Arsenal's new manager - because he'd build a strong defensive wall, have an attacking philosophy & want to win big trophies at all costs. See his hilarious response on Sunday night, ITV, 10pm.” Haven’t Arsenal been through enough, Piers?
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EVENING 18:45: Welcome to our LIVE coverage of Alexis Sanchez… I mean, Yeovil vs Manchester United from Huish Park. There’s not many players capable of dwarfing an FA Cup fourth-round tie, but the Chilean is certainly one of them. Oh, Wayne Shaw is another but for very different reasons. Anyway, Sanchez completed his switch from Arsenal to Jose Mourinho’s side on Monday and travelled to Somerset with the rest of the squad. He’s expected to make his debut after Jose promised to name a strong starting XI. We'll find out shortly. Let’s get going!
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Jose Mourinho enjoys slap-up meal after signing new Man Utd deal Fri, January 26, 2018 Jose Mourinho was snapped enjoying a celebratory meal with his backroom staff after signing a new Manchester United deal Play slideshow Eamonn and James Clarke 1 of 5 Jose Mourinho enjoyed a slap-up meal after signing a new Manchester United deal
