Manchester United v Reading: FA Cup fourth round – live

Red card for Andy Carroll!

No sooner had he received his first warning than Carroll picked up an equally empty second and launched a sliding attack at Casemiro from miles away. So much so that the midfielder sees it coming, gets his death and braces himself for the contact that sends him flying. Oh man.

60 minutes: Carroll gets his warning and dashes across the field to rattle poor Malacia. Ince sends Fornah to Loum.

Updated at 21:20 GMT

Goal! Manchester United 2-0 reading (58th Casemiro)

United immediately doubled their lead when Fred (who had just come on for Eriksen) put the ball to Casemiro 30 yards away and the Brazilian converted his chances with a first curler. The ball takes a head flick from Holmes and lands flush in the bottom corner.

Goal! Manchester United 1-0 reading (55th Casemiro)

United finally take the lead and unsurprisingly it is Antony who unlocks the Reading defence. He dead-kills a Crossfield pass, cutting in from the right and slipping into Casemiro, who made a rare run into the box behind the United front. The midfielder saves Loum’s challenge and scoops the ball over the prone Lumley.

Updated at 21:22 GMT

54 minutes: Carroll’s commitment continues when he mishandles the ball, gets stolen by Eriksen and throws himself into an untamed scissor tackle down the center line. He gets away without a booking.

51 minutes: Momentary excitement at the Stretford End as the bearded Carroll lets go of a perfectly hit and seemingly goal-bound long-ranger but he’s blocked. A minute later he controls a throw-in with his chest and under small pressure lights for a throw. swings and carousels.

48 minutes: United’s first sight of the half comes as Bruno pushes forward and the defense opens up in front of him. He has plenty of time to time the shot but flips it wildly.

46 minutes: And we’re back. Read the halftime and knock it right out of the game.

Peter Oh writes: “Man United undoubtedly have some big glittering names, but arguably the most glittering name on the team sheets tonight is that of Reading substitute Nesta Guinness-Walker. A quick Ask Jeeves search reveals he is the great-grandson of acting legend Alec Guinness. And I daresay his first name must be inspired by legendary Italian centre-back Alessandro Nesta.”

Half time: Manchester United 0-0 reading

Not exactly a thriller but not bad either, United with plenty of half-chances and a goal not awarded, Reading with the best opener of the half. Stay tuned!

45 minutes: Great chance to read! Loum digs forward on the left and swings a cross that clears both United centre-backs and heads towards Malacia, who decides to control the ball on his chest in his own box. Hoilett slams in, robbing the full-back and jabbing the ball towards goal, but De Gea comes down in a flash to knock it away.

Updated at 21:01 GMT

41 minutes: Antony and Wan-Bissaka combine well again and the latter sends in a cross that finds its way all the way to Rashford on the left. He goes back to Fernandes, who pushes the ball into the penalty area for the onrushing Casemiro. He throws himself to the ground under a challenge from Hoilett, but the ref doesn’t take any of it.

37 minutes: Antony launches another United attack, this time passing straight through to Casemiro, who heels Holmes into the box and spins up. Weghorst reacts first, jumping and nodding the ball over the goal from the right, and Rashford waits at the far post to head in from a tight angle. Lumley shovels it away, but not before it crosses the finish line. But wait a minute: A VAR check rules out an offside against Weghorst under construction.

Updated at 20:47 GMT

33 minutes: Antony picks up the ball in the right defensive zone and sprints the length of the field with it at his feet. He slices inside, but instead of going for goal, he slides into Bruno, runs into the box and his shot from the inside right channel is dragged just wide of the far post.

“Weghorst and McGuire are such galompers,” writes Jeff Sax. “I don’t know what they do on the team.” Harsh?

26 minutes: Another forward run from Malacia, another block from Holmes. This time it’s Eriksen’s shot after the half-cleared ball flew to him on the edge of the box. Then Antony scurries forward again and takes out Bruno with a nice early pass, who tries to play the ball into the cross corner from 15 meters out, but shoots just over the bar.

22 minutes: Rashford feeds Malacia down the left and the full-back dives into a cross that Reading tries to clear. The ball lands in front of Weghorst’s feet, who tries to shoot from the turn for the first time from six meters, but Holmes prevails with a desperate lunge and heroic block. A minute later, Antony goes for the seal again, but this time he sails past.

Updated at 20:29 GMT

18 minutes: United put together a quick attack, with Bruno, Antony and Eriksen moving the ball sharply forward. It lands at the feet of the Brazilian, who hits it from the right and shoots the ball into the far corner. The ball flashes just next to it.

14 minutes: After a skillful backheel from Casemiro, Weghorst pulls a late sliding tackle from Holmes from about 30 yards. Rashford venoms the free-kick towards goal, Lumley dives to save and Eriksen’s follow-up shot is blocked by the sweeping loum.

Updated at 20:18 GMT

10 mins: Casemiro has brought a visible note of quality to this United midfield: everything he does is safe and, for the most part, accurate. Wan-Bissaka is enjoying himself tonight and goes forward again to supply Antony in a good position but the winger slips. Andy Carroll currently has a big wispy beard and looks not dissimilar to the Happy Valley villain.

8 minutes: The Dane circles his free kick into the long goal corner, but doesn’t get enough angle and the ball slips next to the goal.

7 minutes: Another good connection between Antony and Wan-Bissaka, but this time the latter’s cross doesn’t find a United shirt. Rashford then finds Weghorst and as he gets the ball back to the edge of the box he leaps past Hoillett to win the foul. Eriksen is over the ball.

5 minutes: Antony finds Wan Bissaka with a skillful nutmeg pass in the side of the box and the right-back’s low cross is right behind Weghorst, whose return doesn’t quite work. Read the resulting corner clearly.

4 minutes: Carroll gets his first taste of action as he takes on Lindelof in a fight that leaves the United man limping. Hendrick pulls a foul from Casemiro on the edge of the box. Tom Ince cautiously puts his shot in the middle of the United wall.

2 minutes: United start and quickly get a feel for the ball, midfield and back four thrashing around for a long time before a loose Casemiro pass gives Reading a chance to counter. Bruno rips open an intestine to make it back and clean up.

The teams are out at Old Trafford and straight down the M61, Spurs clinched a 3-0 win over Preston. More about this here:

Harry Maguire v Andy Carroll should be a lot of fun. Maguire is playing for his future at Old Trafford and Carroll is the dictionary definition of ‘a handful’. Together they weigh 166 kg – exactly the weight of an average reindeer. Not really.

United have hosted Reading twice in the last six years and both times had little trouble saying goodbye to them. In 2017, Wayne Rooney equaled Bobby Charlton’s goal record with a 4-0 win; two years later, Romelu Lukaku clinched a 2-0 win for the home side. In fact, Reading have only beaten today’s opponents once in their history…96 years ago. But there is a first time for everything.

Updated at 19:47 GMT

A point of pre-match readingon Old Trafford’s returning antihero:

True to his word Ten Hag fielded their strongest team and resisted the urge to play Kobbie Mainoo or even Alejandro Garnacho from the start. Harry Maguire comes in for Lisandro Martínez in the only change from Wednesday’s win.

Ince Jr launches for visitors, as is Andrew Thomas Carroll, so with Wout Weghorst at the helm of United, both sides are led by big scary thugs. nice stuff

Team news ahoy!

man united: Man United: De Gea; Malacia, Lindelof, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka; Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes; Rashford, Weghorst, Antony. Substitutes: Heaton, Martinez, Varane, Williams, Fred, Mainoo, Pellistri, Elanga, Garnacho

reading: Lumley, Hoilett, Baba, Yiadom (C), McIntyre, Holmes, Hendrick, Loum, Ince, Joao, Carroll. Substitutes: Bouzanis, Guinness-Walker, Mbengue, Dann, Craig, Fornah, Azeez, Long, Meite

preamble

“We have to do everything to get a trophy.” Those were the words of Erik ten Hag after Manchester United waltzed past Nottingham Forest on Wednesday almost enough to book his ticket to the EFL Cup Final. Now the attention is on the other domestic trophy and at the moment it’s all about Erik. United’s only defeat since the World Cup break came in last weekend’s thriller against leaders Arsenal. Ten games, 23 goals, six goals conceded and – finally – zero cleaning egomaniacs who take everyone’s will to live. What’s not to like?

Next up is reading, the kind of heated underdog that anyone at Old Trafford would have feared the worst about this time last year, but 12 months on it looks like the perfect fodder for a win that keeps the momentum going. Not least because they have one in five wins and come here fresh after a 4-0 win that resulted in manager Paul Ince saying his players had “let the club down”. Winning at Old Trafford is a big challenge for them but stranger things have happened.

Ince will surely be delighted for his team to impress on the big stage, as does Ince Jr (AKA Tom), who of course is part of the visitors’ game staff. As for United, a few sensible changes could give the odd youngster at the club a chance to do the same.

Kick-off 8pm GMT.