Manchester United beat Brighton 2-0 at home in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday night.

Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring with a header off Nemanja Matic’s cross in the 37th minute before the Serbian scored with a header of his own in the closing stages to wrap up the win.

Here’s what we learned from the encounter.

UNITED NOT SO BRIGHT

Just prior to encounter at Old Trafford, Liverpool had wrapped up a Premier League win over Watford in style with Mohamed Salah wielding his magic, scoring four goals and providing an assist in an exhilarating 5-0 victory at Anfield.

United’s win that followed could hardly have been more contrasting. Jose Mourinho’s side have been hit and miss this season and again, weren’t at their best on Saturday night.

There was little drive and intensity to United’s play. Lukaku did what he could with the service he was afforded. Juan Mata was a busybody in midfield, but with little movement around him, his influence was minimal.

The hosts go-to attacking move was to work the ball wide and cross in the hope that Lukaku would get on the end of it. It worked on one occasion but it was a hand that was overplayed and spoke volumes of the team’s lack of imagination.

UNNECESSARY DOUBLE PIVOT

Perhaps the first step to fostering a more fluid approach lies in the team selection itself. One of the main criticisms that followed United’s elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Sevilla was Mourinho’s deployment of Marouane Fellaini and Nemanja Matic in the second leg.

Two central defensive midfielders looked very negative and that’s how it played out. Mourinho didn’t learn from that experience though, fielding Matic alongside Scott McTominay this time against Brighton.

In possession, the midfield duo had very little to contribute in the first half. The Serbian did deliver an excellent cross for the opener but couldn’t offer the kind of drive or ingenuity that Paul Pogba – who was curiously left on the bench – can.

In the second half though Matic seemed to take it upon himself to force the issue and started driving forward more. He showed a different side to his game as he ventured into the final third. His header for the second from the set-piece capped an excellent performance that perhaps saved Mourinho’s blushes.

LUKAKU KEEPS TICKING AWAY

United are not the most exciting outfit around and certainly don’t create a host of goalscoring opportunities in many games but despite his flaws, Lukaku has proven to be very good recruit.

Perhaps the Belgian is used to feeding off scraps having forged a good record during his time at Everton. The striker’s goal against Brighton was his 25th of the season in all competitions, a tidy return for his first season in the red half of Manchester.

This was another game in which he wasn’t afforded many chances but took full advantage of the one that came his way. He may not be the most spectacular goal-scorer and with the likes of Salah and Harry Kane plundering goals in English football, his contribution has flown under the radar.

There’s still plenty of scope for improvement but Lukaku is still only 24 and has scored 10 goals in his last 14 appearances. The future is bright for United’s number nine.