90+2 min: “Isn’t Zak the son of Altrincham legend Barry Whitbread?” asks Simon Rose. “Barry had a few FA Cup giant killing adventures himself back in the day.....”

Indeed he is. And the internet tells me that Barry scored a hat-trick on his debut for Lancaster City, and scored their early goal in what became a 2–1 defeat to Football League opponents Notts County in the first round proper of the 1972–73 FA Cup. He later became head of recruitment at Liverpool.

90 min: Three minutes added on here. Clark, who has been quiet since he came on for Shrewsbury, fires a shot from range towards Romero’s top corner. The Argentinian scrambles across but the shot dips just over.

89 min: Good save from Leutwiler! Pereira releases Depay, who is one-on-one with Shrewsbury’s keeper, but the Swiss gets down well. He’s played OK today but Depay is obviously absolutely devoid of confidence in front of goal. Probably not helped by the home (and away) fans that jeer his every shot.

88 min: Shrewsbury have been much better this half, although that is in part now due to the fact that they are playing against 10 men. United are now happy to see this one out, and are playing keep-ball. They have had over 75% possession this game.

86 min: Ooooohhhhh, Shrewsbury should have themselves a consolation goal. Grimmer had plenty of time to measure his cross, delivering the ball to the back post. Ogogo ghosts in completely unmarked but jumps for it too early and manages to head it wide from five yards out. It was easier to score. Awful, awful defending from United.

84 min: Ogogo drops the shoulder, and sells Smalling a delightful dummy, before squaring the ball. Mangan stabs the ball at goal from six yards out and for a moment Romero looks helpless, but Varela hacks the ball off the line.

83 min: Pereira skips round Grimmer and fizzes a good low cross across the six-yard box but neither Depay or Lingard can get themselves on the end of it.

81 min: Shrewsbury make another change: Clark on for Akpa Akpro, who hasn’t really had the opportunity to impress.

79 min: 3-0 up and LVG’s supporters have started to surface!

“I really would love for Van Gaal to stay,” writes Prashanth Avireddi. “I admire his philosophy. It is quite simple to understand, every player has a pre-assigned position and they move the ball around and attack when the time is right. In EPL all the teams held deep against united and counter attacked. This was possible due to collapse in mid-field and defense. How much can we blame Van Gaal for this, With little bit of creativity the team could have flourished. He signed the best player of netherlands, upcoming young midfielder from spain (was then compared to scholes), brought in leadership of bastian. It is the team who is not repaying van gaal’s trust. I feel for him.”

76 min: Chance for Shrewsbury! Grimmer gets well forward on the right and is chopped down by Depay to give the home side a dangerous free kick. Brown whips in an excellent inswinger and Whitbread challenges Romero in an aerial challenge, but can’t direct his header goalwards! He only had to nod it into an empty net!

74 min: Yep, Keane is going to have to come off, he looks as though he’s pulled his groin. He can’t go on and signals to the bench. That’s very disappointing, he’s really earned his chance here, but United are going to have to continue with 10 men!

Meanwhile, footage has emerged of LVG nearly poking himself in the eye in the first half.

71 min: Another lovely flowing move ends with Depay backheeling the ball to Keane, and the young striker wraps his foot around the ball and clatters the ball against the outside of the post. Close! Keane stays down after the shot, has he pulled something?

69 min: Van Gaal makes his final change: Will Keane coming on for Martial. Another sensible change, but as soon as the Frenchman is off the pitch, Lingard goes down in crumpled heap after a heavy challenge from Whalley. United have made all of their changes, so Lingard is going to have to soldier on. Keane scored five goals for the club’s U-21 side recently …

67 min: I mentioned Manchester United chants at the top of this MBM, and the away fans have just broken into song:

“We’ll support you, We’ll support you, We’ll support ever more.”

United have been excellent today, in all fairness. LVG can be pleased with his players.

65 min: Manchester United make their second change, and with Midtjylland on Thursday, it’s a sensible one. Mata comes off for Andreas Pereira, straight swap.

63 min: Riley has looked lively since coming on at right-back, but a couple of you have asked what is wrong with Darmian. He sustained a dislocated shoulder at Sunderland earlier this month. LVG confirmed last week that the Italian is still a few weeks away from regaining fitness.

60 min: Grimmer and Whalley are beginning to pose some problems for Riley. Grimmer whips a ball into United’s box, but Romero comes and claims it cleanly.

57 min: Shrewsbury are going direct, and it’s working. Akpa Akpro is a handful up top and both himself and Mangan are doing well to win set-pieces and get their team up the pitch.

55 min: “Louis van Gaal is an absolute dead ringer for Dolores Avery from Netflix’s Making a Murderer,” suggests Joel Baldwin. He’s not the only one that’s spotted that one.

52 min: Martial should have made it 3-0. Blind takes a clever short corner, passing it along the byline to Mata, who neatly flicks the ball to the back post, and Martial comes stealing in but can only head the ball wide. He mistimed his header, but should have buried that from three yards out.

51 min: Shrewsbury changing to 4-4-2 means Depay has a lot more space to function. He cuts inside again from the left, this time flashing a shot just wide. There was a deflection on that. Corner.

48 min: “Even at 2-0 Van Gaal doesn’t want to give a game to Keane and Perreira and rest Martial or Mata ahead of Thursday game,” emails Tomislav Klauski. “Instead he changes a left back. That alone is a cause for dismissal.”

46 min: Manchester United start the second half just as they started the first: strongly. First Martial nearly pounces on an error from Grandison inside the Shrewsbury box, and then Mata swings a pinpoint cross to Lingard at the back post, but the Englishman’s shot is well blocked by Brown.

Peeep! And we’re off again.

Manchester United and Shrewsbury both make one change at the break:

Shrewsbury send midfielder Cole on for their captain Knight-Percival. Looks like they are reshuffling to a 4-4-2. Cole is a former Manchester United youth team player, but left the club in 2014.

Manchester United bring Riley on for his debut. He’s on for Borthwick-Jackson.

This is a good email, from David Wall. Shrewsbury defended bravely but showed absolutely no attacking intent in that half. Manchester United enjoyed 79% possession.

“The manager of the lower division side in this kind of draw is usually immune to criticism seeing as little is expected of their side. But unless he has some ingenious rope-a-dope ploy to spring in the second half this reflects pretty poorly on Micky Mellon. He could at least send his team out to try to make a contest of it, and if they were to manage that it might even provide a boost to confidence and help their form in the league.”

Welcome to the Half-time Dead-Ringer Society.

“Anyone who watches Fargo will tell you that Anthony Martial is the spitting image of literate criminal Mike Milligan,” suggests Ezra Finkelstein.

Not a bad shout, that. How about Zak Whitbread as a bearded Garry Monk?

Whitbread, formerly of Liverpool and Norwich (among others), was actually a Manchester United fan growing up, and was a mascot at Old Trafford when he was 10 years old.

45 min: Penalty for Manchester United?! No, Whitbread brings Martial down just outside the box, and it’s a free-kick right on the edge after a nice backheel from Mata released the Frenchman. It’s Mata over the ball …

42 min: “Re: Kev O’Rourke’s comment “…expect LVG to start wearing flares, high heels and a mullet” …that would be an improvement on the entertainment front, at least”, writes John Willoug.

In this game at least, United haven’t been bad going forward. It’s just that Depay keeps shooting.

41 min: Shrewsbury haven’t got out of their half in about 10 minutes. They need a serious reshuffle if they are to pose any threat to United’s back four. Mata is controlling the play in the No10 position, constantly giving Ogogo and Black the slip.

37 min: The pressure is definitely building. Shrewsbury are camped on their 18-yard yard line. Eight minute to hold out until half-time!

33 min: “Lots of complaints about LVG, deservedly, but “top” flight players hoofing the ball over the bar against limited opponents also needs analysis,” emails Kev O’Rourke. “Partly to blame surely. LVG has to go but the club needs reform. Panic buying; lack of squad planning; low moral and confidence; supporter disenchantment. As a long time MU supporter this is like being back in the mid- 70’s. I expect LVG to start wearing flares, high heels and a mullet.”

30 min: Brown is having an excellent game so far at left-wing back for Shrewsbury. He’s already cleared one off the line, covered Knight-Percival when necessary and kept Lingard very, very quiet on the right hand side.

28 min: Shrewsbury hanging on here! United have definitely stepped it up a gear and a slick move down the left, culminates with Martial shooting low, but Leutwiler sticks out a boot. The ball loops up and looks to be dropping into the empty net, but Ogogo heads it off the line, and Shrewsbury survive! That was an excellent save, Martial’s shot took a deflection off Whitbread on the way through.

25 min: The ball squirms loose on the edge of the area and Grandison is judged to have fouled Depay. The home crowd don’t like that one bit, the Shrewsbury defender’s foot was perhaps a little high but he won the ball. But a free-kick it is: Depay over the ball … which he whacks into the face of Martial, with the ball deflected harmlessly over. That was going in! (I think). It’s just not going right for United at the moment.

22 min: Deep in his own half, Varela preposterously nutmegs Whalley rolling his studs over the ball, and then gives the ball away immediately after. Not sure that will please Van Gaal all that much.

20 min: “As a United fan, I’m not sure Sanchit is that off-base,” writes Matt Richman. “Of course I don’t want to be embarrassed here, but on current form I don’t see us even making it past West Ham. A change is undoubtedly needed, though I’m not overly certain Mourinho is the man for us.”

18 min: Some sustained United pressure here, without an end product. Shrewsbury’s three at the back has become five and they are defending very very deep. It’s up to Mata, Lingard, Depay and co to pick the lock.

16 min: Ouch! Smalling flies head first into the advertising hoardings as he tussles with Akpa Akpro. There was a very audible ‘THUD’ as his head made contact with the LED board. After wincing a little, he shakes off some cobwebs and re-takes his place on the field.

13 min: Hey Michael,” emails Sanchit Sablok. “Following the United Game. I don’t know if I want United to win and go on to (possibly) win the FA Cup or just lose and (hopefully) get rid of Van Gaal.”

I’m pretty sure you are in the minority of Manchester United fans: most would desperately love to see them get past Shrewsbury here to face West Ham in the quarter final. They’ve definitely got a chance of winning some silverware.

11 min: There are lots of players slipping out there. Shrewsbury have lots of pace on the counter attack with Mangan, Whalley and Akpa Akpro so they will certainly look to pounce on any mistake by the United back four.

9 min: Depay takes a third shot, and this time it’s a goodun, forcing Leutwiler to get down sharply to his right, tipping the ball wide and out of danger. Knight-Percival hacks clear. Shrewsbury survive.

8 min: Varela has made a nervy start at right back. He slips and is lucky to see the ball go out of play with Black closing him down.

6 min: Depay takes aim once again. This time it’s only about 10 yards clear of the crossbar. Ironic cheers go up from the Shrewsbury faithful.

5 min: Mangan breaks forward from midfield, and the home fans roar Shrewsbury forward for the first time. He spreads it wide for Akpa Akpro but the Frenchman loses out to Blind down the right hand side.

4 min: Depay brings a Mata diagonal out of the sky, cuts inside from the left flank and skies a long-range shot so high, that it hits the advertising hoardings on top of the stand behind Shrewsbury’s goal. His shooting has left a lot to be desired this season. United fans I know are constantly annoyed at how selfish (and wasteful) the Dutchman can be.

2 min: Depay chases down a ball and forces Shrewsbury to concede an early corner. From a Blind delivery, Smalling loses Grandison and meets the ball at the near post but heads 10 yards over. That was a great chance, he should have scored. LVG will be praying for an early goal to settle the nerves.

Peeeeep! And we’re off!

The teams are out! Shrewsbury burst out of the tunnel wearing their famous blue and yellow stripes, while Manchester United are in their changed white strip with a red trim. The managers are in the dugouts, the atmosphere is fantastic. Let’s do this.

Manchester United announced that former player Freddie Goodwin passed away last week. RIP.

A pleasure to have you with us Liam. Meanwhile, we have out first email!

“I assume that West Ham fans, like all neutrals, are hoping for a Cup upset from the plucky underdogs tonight? Although they’d probably be just as happy to play Shrewsbury in the next round,” zings Justin Kavanagh.

Send your emails, predictions, thoughts, hopes, dreams to michael.butler@theguardian.com or via Twitter @michaelbutler18.

With David de Gea injured and Víctor Valdés loaned out to Standard Liège, Sergio Romero starts in goal for Manchester United tonight. LVG’s substitute goalkeeper tonight is 18-year-old Dean Henderson, who would be set for his debut should he be needed.

He’s impressed at reserve level and has recently been recalled from a loan spell at Stockport. Henderson was an outfield player growing up so presumably he’s not bad with his feet. Oh, and he used to play wicket-keeper at county level, so hopefully he’s OK with his hands as well.

Louis van Gaal has been speaking to the cameras:

We have to win. We have not won the FA Cup for a long time so it’s very important for the club, and for the fans. We had three days [to prepare] so we have analysed the opponent but it is a very difficult program for us because we are in all the competitions. It is hard to recover. Of course I cannot close my eyes. I have a press officer and she reads the media every day. I can cope with that. My players can cope with that.

I mentioned in my preamble that “it will be cold, the pitch will be bobbly.” It’s a brisk 5°C in Shropshire but I must apologise to the Shrewsbury ground staff: the pitch is looking excellent. Which will probably play into United’s hands if anything.

I’m looking forward to seeing Varela tonight, United’s young Uruguayan full back. He had an excellent game in the last round of the FA Cup against Derby. Here’s a reminder of how Manchester United got on that night.

On Shrewsbury’s bench is Mat Sadler, who played for England U-17 with Wayne Rooney. Only five of the 18 players in that squad are still playing! Stuart James did this interview with Sadler, which you can read here.