United stroll spares van Gaal more misery

Manchester United cruised into the FA Cup quarterfinals with a 3-0 win at Shrewsbury on Monday that at least temporarily eased the mounting pressure on Louis van Gaal.

Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard netted the goals as United wrapped up a businesslike victory against its third-tier host to secure a last-eight date with West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Following speculation that an embarrassing defeat would be fatal to van Gaal's hopes of avoiding the sack, the United manager was relieved to see his side easily navigate its way through a one-sided fifth-round tie.