2 years ago
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Manchester United scraped into the FA Cup final on penalties despite throwing away a three-goal lead against Championship side Coventry in an epic semi-final at Wembley.
In a very modern-day thriller, United came out on top in a penalty shootout they were losing at one stage.
A quite remarkable contest only got that far because Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time was ruled out for offside by video assistant referee Peter Bankes.
But after Bradley Collins saved United's first kick, from Casemiro, Andre Onana denied Callum O'Hare, then unsettled Ben Sheaf with some verbal jousting - and the Coventry captain missed - allowing Rasmus Hojlund to win it.
What the watching United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe made of it would be interesting to know. Thirty-four years ago, Mark Robins' goalscoring heroics in the FA Cup kept Sir Alex Ferguson in a job. Who knows what damage Robins' Coventry side have done to Erik ten Hag's chances of keeping his?
United thought they were cruising to a repeat of last season's final with neighbours Manchester City when they led 3-0 thanks to goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
But in front of Ratcliffe, who had completed the London Marathon earlier in the day, co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer and new technical director Jason Wilcox, United imploded and Coventry took full advantage.
After Ellis Simms and O'Hare reduced the deficit, Haji Wright kept his nerve in stoppage time to score from the spot and send the game into extra time.
For a brief moment, Torp allowed delirious Coventry fans believe their team were coming back next month to try to emulate the Sky Blue heroes of their 1987 triumph over Tottenham.
It was not to be. But when it was all over, it was the Championship players who were taking the acclaim of their fans as Ten Hag and his players rather sheepishly made their way to the dressing rooms.
- Reaction from Wembley following Coventry-Man Utd thriller
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Coventry City
Squad number40Player nameCollins
Squad number4Player nameThomas
Squad number22Player nameLatibeaudiere
Squad number15Player nameKitching
Squad number27Player namevan Ewijk
Squad number14Player nameSheaf
Squad number28Player nameEccles
Squad number21Player nameBidwell
Squad number10Player nameO'Hare
Squad number9Player nameSimms
Squad number11Player nameWright
Squad number2Player nameBinks
Squad number3Player nameDasilva
Squad number24Player nameGodden
Squad number29Player nameTorp
Squad number30Player nameFábio Tavares
Manchester United
Squad number24Player nameOnana
Squad number20Player nameDiogo Dalot- Squad number18Player nameCasemiro
- Squad number5Player nameMaguire
- Squad number29Player nameWan-Bissaka
Squad number39Player nameMcTominay- Squad number37Player nameMainoo
- Squad number17Player nameGarnacho
- Squad number8Player nameBruno Fernandes
Squad number10Player nameRashford- Squad number11Player nameHøjlund
- Squad number14Player nameEriksen
- Squad number16Player nameDiallo
- Squad number21Player nameAntony
- Squad number62Player nameForson
Line-ups
Coventry
Formation 3-4-1-2
- 40CollinsBooked at 128mins
- 4ThomasBooked at 82mins
- 22LatibeaudiereSubstituted forTavares Desidérioat 63'minutesSubstituted forGoddenat 105'minutes
- 15KitchingSubstituted forBinksat 63'minutes
- 27van Ewijk
- 14Sheaf
- 28EcclesSubstituted forTorpat 63'minutes
- 21BidwellSubstituted forDasilvaat 80'minutesBooked at 111mins
- 10O'Hare
- 9Simms
- 11Wright
Substitutes
- 2Binks
- 3Dasilva
- 6Kelly
- 8Allen
- 13Wilson
- 24Godden
- 29Torp
- 30Tavares Desidério
- 54Andrews
Man Utd
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 24OnanaBooked at 127mins
- 20Dalot
- 18Casemiro
- 5Maguire
- 29Wan-Bissaka
- 39McTominaySubstituted forForsonat 103'minutes
- 37MainooSubstituted forEriksenat 72'minutes
- 17GarnachoSubstituted forAntonyat 66'minutes
- 8Bruno Fernandes
- 10RashfordSubstituted forDialloat 90+7'minutes
- 11Højlund
Substitutes
- 1Bayindir
- 14Eriksen
- 16Diallo
- 21Antony
- 62Forson
- 70Amass
- 75Ogunneye
- 78Jackson
- 84Wheatley
Referee:Robert Jones
Attendance:83,672
Live Text
Match ends, Coventry City 3(2), Manchester United 3(4).
Penalty Shootout ends, Coventry City 3(2), Manchester United 3(4).
Goal! Coventry City 3(2), Manchester United 3(4). Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Bradley Collins (Coventry City) is shown the yellow card.
Penalty missed. Ben Sheaf (Coventry City) right footed shot is high and wide to the left.
André Onana (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Coventry City 3(2), Manchester United 3(3). Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Penalty saved. Callum O'Hare (Coventry City) right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.
Goal! Coventry City 3(2), Manchester United 3(2). Christian Eriksen (Manchester United) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Goal! Coventry City 3(2), Manchester United 3(1). Victor Torp (Coventry City) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top right corner.
Goal! Coventry City 3(1), Manchester United 3(1). Diogo Dalot (Manchester United) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Goal! Coventry City 3(1), Manchester United 3. Haji Wright (Coventry City) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty saved. Casemiro (Manchester United) right footed shot saved in the centre of the goal.
Penalty Shootout begins Coventry City 3, Manchester United 3.
Second Half Extra Time ends, Coventry City 3, Manchester United 3.
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Bobby Thomas.
VAR Decision: No Goal Coventry City 3-3 Manchester United.
GOAL OVERTURNED BY VAR: Victor Torp (Coventry City) scores but the goal is ruled out after a VAR review.
Offside, Coventry City. Haji Wright is caught offside.
Omari Forson (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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