Dalot: This is the first step to Wembley

The Portuguese defender slotted in our first goal of the calendar year to open the scoring at the DW Stadium, before his compatriot Bruno Fernandes made sure of our third-round triumph from the penalty spot in the second half.

Dalot made his ambitions in the competition clear, as he spoke to both ITV and MUTV in the aftermath of the Reds’ professional performance.

“That’s why we’re here, we’re Man United – we play to win every competition,” our no.20 confidently said at full-time.

“We know that this was the first step for us to go to Wembley, we want to be there at the end of the season like last year. We know how special it is, this competition, and how much we want to win it.

“Today, we had the first step, a first opportunity, with the tough pitch and a tough game. These types of games are difficult if you don’t get the right approach, and don’t do the right things.

"but we did it today and we showed some character and a good performance. We’re happy.”

Dalot’s opener came in the midst of a period of real United dominance – with a flurry of opportunities following the defender’s strike and before the half-time break.

The 24-year-old agreed that his goal helped him and his team-mates to settle into the contest.

“I think it gave a little bit more confidence to the team," he reflected.

"We were needing a goal just so we could be a little bit more calm, not rushing to score another one.

“I think we created a lot of chances, we could have scored even more goals and finished the game with more goals.

“It wasn’t perfect, otherwise we could have scored more goals, but overall, I think we controlled the game, created a lot of chances and didn’t concede many, so we’re happy with the performance.”

United will now face Eastleigh or Newport County in the fourth round, with the two sides set to contest a third-round replay on Tuesday16 January.