Manchester United advanced to the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals after defeating Fulham 3-1 at Old Trafford, despite having two players sent off in the second half.
After Alexander Mitrovic’s opener, a Bruno Fernandes brace and Marcel Sabitzer’s close-range effort completed the comeback, sending Erik ten Hag’s side to Wembley for the second time this season to face Brighton and Hove Albion.
Willian was adjudged to have handballed Jadon Sancho’s shot on the line, resulting in the recovery. The incident was immediately investigated by referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR, and the official pointed to the spot and reached into his pocket to dismiss the Brazilian.
Mitrovic then appeared to push the referee, resulting in the Serbian being ejected as well, while manager Marco Silva was also forcibly removed in a remarkable few minutes in M16.
The Reds will travel to London on 22 or 23 April to face the Seagulls, while Manchester City and Sheffield United will compete in the other semi-final.
United got off to a slow start, with the visitors having multiple chances to take the lead. Former Liverpool midfielder Andreas Pereira, Issa Diop, and Willian, a former Chelsea winger, all tested David De Gea’s goal.
Marcus Rashford made a darting run down the left side with pace and determination to take on the Fulham defence in the Reds’ first major attempt. His pass was intercepted by Wout Weghorst, who took the ball on his left foot and fired a low shot into Leno’s gloves.
The pair would connect again moments later, when Rashford received the ball from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. With two Fulham players in front of him, United’s no.10 managed to whip a marvellous cross into the path of Weghorst, but the Dutch centre-forward was denied by United States international Tim Ream.
At the other end, Antonee Robinson’s high cross found Mitrovic’s head, but the Serbian was unable to direct his effort on goal. United then broke away, with Weghorst and Sabitzer incorporating to put Rashford one-on-one with Leno, however the German smothered Marcus’s effort.
Sabitzer’s contributions did not stop there, as the Austrian fired a long-range shot that forced Leno to make a double-handed save. Following a good pass from Sancho, he made an overlapping run. His first-time pass across the area was too quick for Rashford to capitalise on and was intercepted by the Fulham defence.
The stalemate was finally broken after multiple attempts by the visitors. Diop flicked on Pereira’s corner, and Mitrovic arrived at the back post to poke the ball past De Gea and give Marco Silva’s side the lead.
United repeatedly tried to respond as quickly as possible. Rashford was able to break down the left wing thanks to Weghorst’s header. Looking up, Rashford’s pass found Fernandes on the edge of the area, where he tried a long-range shot that sailed wide of Leno’s far post.
United had a golden opportunity to take the lead just before halftime. On the right wing, Sancho got the better of Robinson, and his pass into Scott McTominay compelled the Scottish international to try the first shot, which was obstructed by the oncoming defender.
Fulham came out firing in the second half, forcing De Gea into action early. Palhinha’s tackle just outside the box put the ball in Willian’s path. On the overlap, the Brazilian winger succeeded in getting the ball to Antonee Robinson, whose effort was nudged so over bar by the Spaniard.
Willian will not be satisfied. After picking up the ball on the outskirts of the United penalty area, the erstwhile Chelsea and Arsenal winger attempted to flex the ball into the far corner of the goal, pressuring De Gea to make another save.
Mitrovic nearly doubled the lead, but De Gea came up with arguably his best save of the game. Pereira’s deadly free-kick found the leaping centre-forward, and his header compelled De Gea to wrench the ball away to maintain the Reds in the game.
The major conversation point of the game arrived with 20 minutes remaining. Substitute Antony broke down the right side and slid the ball to Sancho, whose shot was obstructed on the line by Willian’s arm. Willian was shown the red card after the referee and VAR accomplished their investigation.
Mitrovic was also sent off, as was Silva for dissidence, leaving the visitors with nine men and no manager. Despite the chaos, Fernandes remained composed. He decided to step up to the spot and slotted the ball past Leno to tie the game for United.
The floodgates would then be opened. Luke Shaw’s run down the left wing contributed in the full-back firing a low cross into the six-yard box, where Sabitzer flicked the ball past Leno with a magnificent piece of skill to score his first goal for the club.
Fernandes turned the match to bed after a spate of late Fulham subs. Fred, who had just come off the bench, found our number eight with a well-weighted pass, and the Portuguese playmaker rammed the ball into the upper left corner to make it 3-1.
