Manchester United are through to the semifinals of the FA Cup, following their Sunday afternoon win over Fulham. In a match that ended with a comfortable 3-1 win for the Red Devils, not everything was that easy. It was Aleksandar Mitrovic who gave the visitors the lead 50 minutes into the match, but then he earned one of Fulham’s two red cards to make things difficult for the Cottagers. Two goals from Bruno Fernandes and one from Marcel Sabitzer were enough for Ten Hag’s side to keep another one of their cup runs going.
Antony Gets United Going
This was not a match United started the way they wanted to. In fact, the first 30 minutes or so, Fulham showed their best, with their aggresiveness and tactical discipline. United were struggling for the most part and even conceded the first goal of the match. But it was five minutes after Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal that Erik Ten Hag once again managed to change things for the better with his substitution. Antony replaced Scott McTominay and he revived the rest of the team. He created threats on the right United were unable to make before, he also came close to scoring and his great run created the chance for United’s equaliser. Sure, things were later on helped by Fulham, but the Brazilian deserves a lot of credit for his performance.
Fulham Undone By Their Own Men
Everything was looking great for Fulham for those 72 minutes. They had the lead, they were the better team and were on the verge of going the distance at Old Trafford. But then Willian played a handball to stop the clear goal and he earned the red card. It was, however, Aleksandar Mitrovic who created further problems unnecessarily, aggressively attacking the referee for his decision to award the penalty. He got the red card as well as manager Marco Silva, and United from then on had just eight outfield players on the pitch. Things got much easier for United from then on.
Sabitzer Scores His First United Goal
While Bruno Fernandes enjoyed himself scoring two goals and being highly influential in his usual manner, it was also a great day for Marcel Sabitzer. The central midfielder scored his first ever goal for Man United, giving the team the lead just minutes after Bruno’s penalty. He has been in and out of the team since joining on loan, also had an injury problem, but this was a match in which he showed how useful he can be.
Manchester Derby Big Possibility In The FA Cup Final
With this win, Manchester United got into the FA Cup semifinals and they will face Brighton and Hove Albion. The Devils have once again reached the chance to play at Wembley, which they will do on 23 April, two months after the League Cup final against Newcastle. More importantly, the draw was a good one for United, since Manchester City are in the other semi-final. The champions of England will face Sheffield United, the real story of this season’s FA Cup. All of this means we could be in for the FA Cup final between the two Manchester clubs.
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