Manchester United advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Fulham, who two players and their coach sent off on Sunday evening,
FA Cup
Result: Manchester United 3-1 Fulham
Date: 19 March 2023
Venue: Old Trafford
Erik ten Hag recalled Marcel Sabitzer and Scott McTominay for Fred and the suspended Casemiro, while Jadon Sancho replaced Brazil international Antony on the right.
It was an evenly contested affair in the early stages of the encounter, although clear-cut chances were hard to come by in the opening 20 minutes at Old Trafford.
Erik ten hag's charges started seeing more of the ball as the first half went on, with Bruno Fernandes causing a bit of problems for the Fulham backline with his balls in behind the defence.
Sabitzer nearly took matters into his own hands on 40 minutes after collecting a ball from Fernandes before forcing goalkeeper Bernd Leno into a fine save with a powerful strike.
After a scoreless first half, Fulham went close to breaking the deadlock two minutes in when Antonee Robinson saw his close-range strike saved by De Gea, who also denied Willian a few moments later.
From the resultant corner, the visitors took the lead when Aleksander Mitrovic calmly slotted into the back of the net after getting on the end of Issa Diop's flick-on.
Ten Hag responded with a change just before the hour mark as McTominay made way for Antony as the hosts went in search of the equaliser.
United were handed a lifeline on 72 minutes when VAR spotted a handball on the goal-line by Willian, who was sent off while Mitrovic was also sent off for pushing the referee along with their coach Marco Silva for dissent.
After all the hype had died down, Fernandes stepped up to take the penalty and calmly slotted into the bottom corner to level matters with 15 minutes to play.
United took the lead a minute later when Sancho played in Luke Shaw, who turned provider to pick Sabitzer for the close range finish and his first goal for the club.
Fernandes would wrap up the win for the Red Devils in second-half stoppage time with a powerful finish into the top corner, as they set up a semi-final clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
