Why Jadon Sancho was better against Fulham than anyone realised

Across the 90 minutes, Jadon Sancho was maybe Manchester United’s most impressive performer against Fulham in their FA Cup quarter-final triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Granted, the bar for this was beneath the Old Trafford pitch before the 70th minute, where Fulham had two players and their manager sent off. Manchester United had been playing poorly and were struggling to so much as string three passes together.

The technical level was very poor due to a mix of both fatigue and a genuine need to raise the technical floor of the side. Almost all Erik ten Hag‘s players were sloppy with their touches and passes. The key word being almost.

Read More: Five talking points as Manchester United defeat Fulham 3-1 (FA Cup)

Amongst the chaos, Sancho stood out as a calm head (or feet; however you want to look at it). He received the ball well under control most of the time and made good, impactful passes that you could see the thought process behind, instead of ones which seemed like they were not backed by any thought process whatsoever.

Here, UtdDistrict analyses Sancho’s game, looking at not only some of his actions but crucially what they led to afterwards:

07:37- Smart pass leading to a transition opportunity

This might seem something very simple. But sometimes simplicity is key. Fernandes lays off to Sancho after taking down a long ball from De Gea, and Sancho comes inside to remove Reed from the game before then taking out Palhinha and Pereira with his pass to Mctominay.

He effectively removed Fulham’s entire midfield from the game in four touches, and United could exploit the space created by Fulham committing so many men over to that side and move the ball into the final third through Mctominay, Shaw, and Rashford. Sancho would be again involved in the final third but no real opportunities were created before play stopped as Fernandes went down hurt.

11:53 – Creates transition that leads to a shot on target

This play was a genius move from Sancho. Remarkably, just 24 seconds before receiving the ball from Bruno he had actually been on the right wing for a United possession but tracked all the way back to left back to support Luke Shaw having spotted danger when Fulham won the ball in their half and running all the way over.

Here he receives a ball from Fernandes in an unfavourable situation (albeit this is not Fernandes’ fault, he was under intense pressure himself and had to make the pass). He is being pressed by Diop who is running towards him, but rather than try to go on the outside Sancho cleverly goes back inside and uses Diop’s momentum against him, which works perfectly.

This creates some space for Sancho, and behind that space, Rashford is making a run. Sancho releases him well and Rashford is able to drive at Fulham’s defence in transition, a situation he loves. It leads to Weghorst receiving and shooting on the edge of the box in what is a good opportunity.

Fernandes was unhappy that Weghorst did not pass, having made a run behind the Fulham backline, although the poor shot is the real issue here. Excellent play from Sancho and Rashford nonetheless.

31:10 – Nice pass in buildup, leads to transition opportunity

This was a bit of a risk from Sancho, but led to what could have been a very dangerous transition opportunity for United had Fernandes got his final pass right. Sancho picks up the loose ball but has nowhere to go except backwards.

He takes it back past Willian, but his only real passing option is Maguire who would be receiving under pressure facing his goal – a situation he struggles with. He could try to go back to De Gea, but it would be a difficult pass to make and Mitrovic would be there to pressure De Gea, who already struggles on the ball majorly.

Instead, Sancho sees a gap and attempts a slightly risky but smart pass to Martínez, who is able to move it forwards and United can transition. This scenario is again created by Sancho not panicking under pressure, looking up and playing the smart pass instead of the quick & easy pass.

A few moments after Fernandes loses the ball, he then actually wins it back too and United transition agan, leading to Rashford getting in behind.

36:00 – Clever forward pass, leads to transition opportunity & corner

Another smart piece of play in buildup. Sancho picks the ball up and goes inside, where he has space. He spots Weghorst and quickly uses his weaker left foot to play through the lines to him. United are again behind the Fulham midfield and have a chance to transition.

40:22 – Finds Sabitzer in box, leads to good opportunity

Here Sancho makes a very good run behind the Fulham defence and has lots of space. Ideally you’d like him to be a little faster and continue to drive into the box, although Fernandes’ pass could have been slightly further ahead of him.

Either way, he sees he cannot find Rashford and will not drive to goal in time so slows down. Sabitzer makes a good overlapping run, and Sancho plays him in at the right time, leading to an excellent cutback opportunity. Ten Hag will be happy about this one.

46:20 – Good opportunity created, even if he could have been a bit more selfish

This one will split debate. Sancho’s initial press on Ream forces the ball forwards, leading to the turnover after Maguire steps out well. Martínez’s pass to Weghorst is fantastic, and the Dutchman lays off to Sancho well. Sancho could, arguably should, have gone outside and shot. He instead lays off to Mctominay, who gets a shot off although Ream reads the play well and gets across to block the shot.

With the pass not having led to a goal, it looks like a bad decision. But had Mctominay scored, it would probably be hailed as genius. Similarly, had Sancho gone on the outside and shot but not scored from the angle, he would be criticised. Sometimes in football, there is more than one right decision and I do not think that either of the two options are bad decisions here. Sancho’s decision showcased quick, creative thinking which we know is a strength of his and is something fans have been asking for as he works to get back in form.

54:03 – Finds Mctominay in box with clever pass after working space well

This play is mostly good but ends badly. Sancho receives from Weghorst after Mctominay wins possession and drives forwards. He takes on Willian and beats him, before eliminating the others around him with a pass to Mctominay in the box, in a good zone to try and cut the ball back.

Ream comes across to defend it, having read the play excellently, and Mctominay cannot go anywhere so passes back to Sancho, who shows as an option. Sancho tries to get past Robinson, but the American wins the ball well and sets off a dangerous Fulham transition. The idea is right, but the execution is not quite there this time.

69:30 – Penalty win

Another one that might split opinion, although I do not think any United fans will actually complain about the outcome they got. Sancho is a few yards away from Fernandes when he initially releases Antony, but sprints up the pitch excellently to support. One could argue he should shoot when 1v1 with Leno, then again when he checks back inside to take out Reed, but the fact Sancho felt the confidence to take them on is a huge positive. His shot looked very likely to be hitting the net had it not been for Willian handling it, and the outcome ended up being better for United. Fernandes equalised from the spot, and Fulham lost two players & their head coach.

Some may be frustrated that Sancho did not end up scoring, but had it not been for Willian’s hand it was almost certainly going to be a goal. As we can see from this angle, the ball is already above his leg so he cannot block it with that, even if he deflects it slightly it still ends up a goal. The ball travels way too fast for his upper body to block it. The finish was not the issue.

76:13 – Pre-assist for Sabitzer goal, excellent pass to Shaw

Sancho and Shaw have had fairly limited opportunities together, but whenever they do play together they fit like a glove. Sancho’s ability to disguise his actions and his weight of pass are two of his best traits, and when you pair this with the marauding Luke Shaw then at their best there are few left-hand sides in world football that are better.

Sancho holds wide, and with nine men Fulham are stretched. Fernandes plays it to him and Shaw makes the overlapping run. Sancho slips Shaw in at just the right moment, and United are celebrating a goal just seconds later. Brilliant play.

79:46 – Sancho slips in Weghorst

Not an elite opportunity, but it’s a similar method to the goal just moments before. This time Weghorst runs into the channel from the CF position, and once again Sancho’s disguise on the pass is magnificent. It looks almost just like another touch. In this scenario, Rashford should be attacking the box and providing Weghorst with a good option for a cutback, and this is how Erik ten Hag wants his team to create chances. Sancho has consistently shown that with runners, he excels. This is just another one of those situations, and Ten Hag will be teaching his side to make more of these.

After this, there were a couple more bright moments. One was a smart layoff to Antony which assisted a dangerous shot, another was bringing down a corner excellently before putting a cross into a very dangerous area. But all in all this performance was more like the Sancho fans know, even if there is still work to do.

Sancho supplemented his clever performance in possession with some good movement off the ball and consistently tracked back to support his full back, whichever side he was on. He was a tad too eager in his press a couple of times, but all in all played well defensively. This performance is a strong one to build on going into the international break, and Ten Hag will be working closely with him to take this up another level when United return.