Lukaku brace sends Man Utd to FA Cup quarter-finals

London Feb 18 (IANS) Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku scored a brace as Manchester United booked a quarter-finals spot for the fourth consecutive season with a 2-0 victory over fellow English Premier League (EPL) club Hudderfield.

The 24-year-old Lukaku (3rd minute 55th) scored in either half to seal Manchester United an important victory after being outplayed by the home side in the initial 45 minutes during the match on Saturday.

Lukaku opened the scoring from a through ball assist by Juan Mata which was perfectly tucked away at the near post.

However Huddersfield who are 17th in the EPL table gave a good account of themselves disallowing the strong Manchester club control possession in the first half.

Closing on the first-half Mata had a goal ruled out the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) although there was some confusion over whether the decision was a correct one.

In the second-half Van La Parra s miskick and a Huddersfield penalty appeal after half-time somehow initiated the second goal for Manchester United.

The goal by Lukaku was started by himself after a Huddersfield corner came to nothing. He later passed to forward Alexis Sanchez and raced onto the return ball bearing down on goal before smartly finishing it past the goalkeeper.

--IANS
sam/pgh/