Manchester United 3 Fulham 1
Fernandes (75 pen, 90+6) Sabitzer (77) – Mitovic (50′, 72 Red), Willian (72 Red)
[ Highlights | Post-Match Reaction ]
Goals from Ferdinand and Sabitzer will go down in the record books as having beaten Fulham in this FA Cup quarter-final, but the truth is Fulham beat themselves. They went from leading comfortably to conceding two goals and having two players and their manager sent off in a matter of minutes.
After a forgettable first half with neither team scoring, Fulham started the second better. After a succession of saves and then corners, Mitrovic gave Fulham the lead early in the second half. United looked dead on their feet, and Fulham could’ve easily scored a second. It looked like, and should’ve been, their day.
Then, in the seventieth minute, from a Fulham corner, the ball fell to Fernandes just outside his own box. First-time, he volleyed a pass forward to Antony on the wing, with Sancho breaking at speed through the middle. Antony’s pass cut out the Fulham defender and found Sancho in the penalty D and with a couple of quick touches, he was around the keeper. He took it onto his right, and his shot was stopped by Willian’s hand on the goal line.
Initially, the Referee awarded a corner, but eventually, VAR summoned him to the pitch-side screen. Marco Silva confronted him as he attempted to view the incident and got a red for interference even before the referee had made a penalty decision. When he awarded the penalty and sent Willian off, the decision so infuriated Mitrovic that he put his hands on the official and was sent off too. That implosion handed United the game.
Fernandes converted the penalty, then moments later, Sabitzer flicked a Shaw cross home to make it 2-1. It was hard not to feel sorry for Fulham fans and the nine remaining players when their team had let them down so badly. In time added on, Fernandes rocketed home a third against the increasingly hapless visitors. United will feel lucky that they were gifted this game but will have to be far better if they are to overcome Brighton in the semi-finals.
Manchester Utd
De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, McTominay, Sabitzer, Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford, Weghorst
Subs: Butland, Dalot, Lindelof, Malacia, Fred, Mainoo, Pellistri, Antony, Elanga
Fulham
Leno, Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson, Palhinha, Reed, De Cordova-Reid, Andreas, Willian, Mitrovic
Subs: Rodak, Tosin, Cedric, Lukic, Wilson, Cairney, Solomon, James, Vinicius