Izuchukwu OkosiManchester United continued their push for a cup treble as they advanced to Wembley for the second time this season with a 2-1 win in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup over Fulham that did not feature Super Eagles-eligible defender Tosin Adarabioyo on Sunday evening.
Marco Silva’s side looked to pull off an upset as Fulham hoped to reach their first FA Cup semi-final since 2022 but were undone by disciplinary issues in the course of the game.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe first half ended scoreless with both sides having few chances at goal.
The match sprang to life in the second half when United’s sloppy play from the edge of their own box led to a chance for Willian on his left foot.
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The former Chelsea and Arsenal winger instead set up Robinson, who opened his body to force De Gea into an excellent stop. The goalkeeper tipped the shot over the bar on that occasion.
Moments later, Willian cut inside and unleashed a great effort. This time De Gea tipped it around the post.
Mitrovic put the Cottagers ahead and ended his run of nine games without a goal when he headed the ball home albeit with Marcus Rashford fouled in the buildup.
Jadon Sancho sidestepped his marker in the 70th minute and fired his shot onto the hands of Willian who was handed a red card after a VAR review.
The Brazilian was thus penalised with a straight red card before Aleksander Mitrovic talked himself into trouble, worsened by his push of the referee in a form of rage.
Manager Marco Silva was also served a red card for his tirade from the bench.
Bruno Fernandez scored from the penalty spot, sending Leno in Fulham’s goal the wrong way.
Marcel Sabitzer made it 2-1 with 13 minutes to go with a great finish while Fernandez let fly a powerful shot that Leno could do nothing to stop and ensured that victory was certain in the closing stages.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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