Man Utd used the strongest possible lineup with pillars such as Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Casemiro returning to start together. Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir also played for Man Utd for the first time, when Andre Onana had not returned from the African tournament. However, the trip to Wales was not easy for the "Red Devils" despite the large difference in rankings between the two teams.

The visitors were of course still playing better, and opened the scoring early in the seventh minute. Luke Shaw passed to Fernandes on the left wing, and the Man Utd captain played a one-touch pass for Antony to rush down. Antony passed back to the second line, right in the path of Fernandes, who rushed forward and stretched his instep to shoot into the near corner of the net.

Just six minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead from a similar situation but in the opposite direction. Defender Diogo Dalot dribbled the ball from the right into the penalty area, then passed it out to 19-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who curled the ball into the far corner from nearly 15 metres. It was Mainoo's first goal in professional football, in 14 games.

Man Utd then wasted a series of chances, such as Antony hitting the opponent from close range, or Garnacho hitting the crossbar without passing to his teammate. The waste made the away team pay the price because in the 37th minute, the home player scored a masterpiece. Midfielder Bryn Morris suddenly swiped the ball from a distance of more than 25 meters, sending the ball over Lisandro Martinez's head, causing the ball to fly higher, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Bayindir.

The fourth-tier side poured cold water on Man Utd early in the second half, with a goal to level the score at 2-2. Defender Adam Lewis crossed the ball from the left when Antony was not following him, allowing striker Will Evans to tap in from close range into the far corner. Evans, a Man Utd fan, once milked cows to earn extra money to pursue his dream of becoming a footballer.

The camera lingered on the displeased face of coach Erik ten Hag, after Man Utd conceded a second goal. His face only relaxed a little after Antony made it 3-2 in the 68th minute. The first credit went to Luke Shaw, whose right-footed curler from the edge of the penalty area bounced off the post and Antony tapped in with his right foot. This was Antony's first goal in all competitions this season, and he scored with his weaker foot.

In the second half's injury time, striker Rasmus Hojlund was also relieved with a goal to seal a 4-2 victory. Garnacho contributed with a through ball for midfielder Omari Forson to face the goalkeeper. Forson's shot bounced off, right at Hojlund's reach, scoring his eighth goal in all competitions this season.

Newport is a Welsh club playing in the fourth tier of English football, three divisions below Manchester United. Their stadium, Rodney Parade, has a capacity of just over 7,800 spectators, which was obviously not enough for such a big match. Many spectators stood on the balconies of houses around the stadium to watch the match without having to go inside.

Man Utd's opponents in the fifth round will be either second-tier Bristol City or Nottingham Forest. Before that, Ten Hag's team will visit Wolverhampton on the evening of February 1 in the Premier League.

Xuan Binh