How Manchester United reached the FA Cup final for a record 22nd time
Manchester United are through to a record 22nd FA Cup final and will take on Manchester City this weekend.
Here, we look at the Red Devils’ route to another Wembley showdown.
Wigan 0 Man Utd 2 (third round, Jan 8th)
Goals from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes meant Erik ten Hag’s side avoided any unwanted drama at League One side Wigan.
United, as they should have, dominated a side 53 places below them, and the only complaint would be that they did not convert more of their 33 attempts on goal.
As it was, Dalot’s 22nd-minute curler and a second-half penalty from Fernandes set up a trip to Wales.
Newport 2 Man Utd 4 (fourth round, Jan 28th)
The Red Devils survived a huge FA Cup fright to win away to League Two opposition after Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo – with his first United goal – had struck inside the opening 13 minutes.
Safe passage seemed inevitable but Rodney Parade was rocked as Bryn Morris and Will Evans levelled, making light of the 76 rungs between the two clubs on the football ladder.
United’s troubled season was in danger of sinking to a new low, only for Antony to score for the first time since April 2023 and Rasmus Hojlund to seal matters in stoppage time.
Nottingham Forest 0 Man Utd 1 (fifth round, Feb 28th)
Last year’s FA Cup finalists dug deep on the banks of the Trent as Casemiro turned home Fernandes’ free-kick at the death to set-up a mouth-watering quarter-final with Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The 89th-minute winner, which took time to be cleared by the VAR, kept United’s season alive having been dumped out of Europe in December and long since played themselves out of the Premier League title race.
Man Utd 4 Liverpool 3 (AET) (Mar 17th)
Super sub Amad Diallo sealed a scarcely-believable extra-time triumph in a tie against bitter rivals Liverpool that swung from one way to the other before a box-office conclusion.
Scott McTominay put United into an early lead, but Liverpool looked set to run amok after Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah scored late in the first half to put Jurgen Klopp’s men in control.
Substitute Antony levelled against the run of play to take the match to extra time, when the roller-coaster ride continued with Liverpool replacement Harvey Elliott striking a 105th-minute body blow.
But, in front of United fan Tyson Fury, the hosts picked themselves off the canvas, with Marcus Rashford making it 3-3 before Diallo scored in the final minute and was sent off after receiving a second booking for his celebrations.
Coventry 3 Man Utd 3 (Utd won 4-2 on penalties) (Apr 21st)
Manchester United survived an almighty scare to progress to the FA Cup final, winning on penalties after Coventry fell agonisingly short of a sensational comeback victory at Wembley.
The Red Devils had looked to be cruising past an apparently inferior opponent as they opened up a handsome lead with goals from McTominay, Harry Maguire and Fernandes.
Yet their Championship opponents pulled one back through Ellis Simms with less than 20 minutes to go and then threw caution to the wind, with Callum O’Hare scoring a deflected effort before Haji Wright’s 90th-minute spot-kick sent the game to extra time.
Both sides hit the bar in extra time before Victor Torp thought he had snatched a dramatic winner for Coventry in the closing minutes, only for VAR to rule Wright fractionally offside in the build-up. Sky Blues captain Ben Sheaf went on to send a crucial kick over the crossbar in the penalty shoot-out, leaving Hojlund to win it.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie