It has been a bumpy and worrying journey for Erik ten Hag, and it was long after the Manchester United manager had negotiated further questions about Marcus Rashford’s apparent lack of discipline. Rashford’s absence was notable, as he is not in the United squad heading to Cardiff, days after the striker called in sick for training, which Ten Hag said was allegedly due to an internal matter, hours after being photographed at a Belfast nightclub.
Relating to: FA Cup fifth round draw: Maidstone miss Premier League tie
On the field, United’s team, assembled at a cost of more than £400 million, survived a major scare in brave and defiant Newport County, a largely destitute and straggler 76 places further down the pyramid.
Newport were 2-0 down inside 13 minutes, Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo applying superb finishes to almost identical moves, but Newport moved into action to ensure a fascinating encounter. It looked like this draw would be something of a disappointment after all, until Bryn Morris’s long-range strike headed home Lisandro Martínez in the 36th minute. Newport has secured everything but that.
Did they come back from two goals down last time to get something? It was Boxing Day against Forest Green Rovers, who are in danger of relegation to non-league and are arguably not the most famous club in the world, having won that competition 12 times. Newport manager Graham Coughlan, a United fan who attended several of these finals and persuaded Ole Gunnar Solskjær to go in goal while gaining his UEFA B licence, meanwhile reminded his players of their fighting spirit. “We gave ourselves a little glimmer of hope,” Coughlan said later.
This optimism was well placed. Two minutes into the second half, this run-down stadium went crazy. Newport increased the noise by erecting a temporary stand to accommodate an extra 1,000 supporters, bringing the capacity closer to 10,000. Those who could not buy tickets resorted to creative methods. A number of terrace houses on Rodney Road overlooking the pitch at one end of the Compeed Stand created space for up to two dozen fans to watch the game from makeshift scaffolded viewing platforms.
Will Evans, who until two years ago was juggling part-time milking cows on his parents’ farm in mid-Wales, said supporters and those on the expanded North Terrace had the best seats in the house when it blew up. He turned in Adam Lewis’ devilish low cross from the left. Liverpool’s on-loan left-back Lewis, who went to school with Trent Alexander-Arnold, undoubtedly enjoyed every second of the match.
Suddenly United looked smitten, their early buffers a distant memory as the home support applauded every Newport block and savored every United miscue. Altay Bayındır made a pass in his first match and was out of the game. The rooftop chant of “Everywhere we go, we watch Newport County, we put on a show” was now on loop. “I thought we had them,” Coughlan said. “I was dreaming. They were shaken up at 2-2 and were doing some unconventional things. “We just needed a few more magic moments.”
Coughlan shook his head in disbelief after the warm-up. In the minutes before the first whistle, Newport’s players – many of whom were childhood United fans, including captain Ryan Delaney and long-serving defender Scot Bennett – lined up to shake hands with their United counterparts, the home players embracing their children in their arms, this one They hit home that one-off events run much deeper than locker room walls. Bennett and goalkeeper Nick Townsend have tasted Newport’s giant-killing appetite before – they made life difficult for Manchester City in 2019 – and they are at it again. As the stadium announcer shouted in the moments before kick-off: “It’s fair to say Newport are on the map.”
Play was stopped in the 64th minute because Townsend needed treatment, giving Coughlan the chance to give some instructions and get his players up for air. During the week, Coughlan had stressed the need to stifle United’s midfield at all times. Free transfers Morris and Aaron Wildig have enjoyed action against five-time Champions League winner Casemiro and Fernandes, who was signed for a combined fee of £117 million. Ten Hag must have felt a sense of relief when United took the lead again through Antony four minutes later. Luke Shaw cut in with his right foot and fired a shot past Townsend’s left post but Antony was ready to put in the rebound.
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Even though the Dutchman hadn’t done all his homework, Coughlan cherished the few minutes he had with Ten Hag afterwards. “He congratulated us and thanked us as a club for our hospitality,” Coughlan said. “I just told him to hang in there… the toughness and character we need to show at this club, he needs to do the same. I wished him the best. He gave me a nice bottle of red wine… but don’t tell him I don’t drink red wine, please.”
Newport, sitting 16th in League Two, was a credit to themselves and indeed the pyramid. Newport, a squad put together for a pittance compared to United, pushed until the final whistle and said the game wasn’t truly dead until the 94th minute when Højlund was in the right place to grab the rebound after substitute Omari Forson had been denied. It is proof of their unlimited performance. With just a minute left on the clock, Newport substitute James Waite forced Bayındır into a fingertip save. United needed to sweat it out to get the job done.
“The group represents me: I never wave a white flag and neither do they,” Coughlan said.