London,
Sunday, 21 April, 2024
Manchester United progressed to a record-breaking 22nd FA Cup final, staving off an incredible Coventry City comeback to win 4-2 on penalties after extra time at Wembley Stadium – all after Victor Torp’s 121st-minute strike was disallowed for offside.
Sky Blues boss Mark Robins is often credited with saving Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at Manchester United, but knew a win for his side here in the capital would heap further scrutiny on Erik ten Hag’s tenure.
The irony would not have been lost on the Red Devils academy graduate, and despite containing Ten Hag’s men well in the opening exchanges, they were behind by the midway point of the first half.
Scott McTominay brilliantly drifted into space and turned the ball into an empty net from Diogo Dalot’s enticing cross from the right for his 10th goal of the season.
Coventry were struggling to create much in response until Josh Eccles made a superb run into the box, and Dalot superbly intercepted his resulting cut-back away from the onrushing Ellis Simms.
That intervention looked even more important when, in first half stoppage time, United doubled their advantage as Harry Maguire powered home a header from a Bruno Fernandes corner to give the Red Devils a stranglehold on this contest at the break.
Fernandes was looking to get in on the act himself and was inches away from doing so with a speculative looping effort which dipped just past the post. The skipper did add his name to the scoresheet just shy of the hour mark though, showing some wonderfully intricate footwork inside the box before seeing his deflected strike beat Bradley Collins at his near post.
The Coventry supporters were finally given something to cheer soon however, as Simms scored his 19th goal of a stellar season with a superb first-time finish from a fine Fabio Tavares cross to get the Sky Blues off the mark.
And after what was previously looking like a procession towards a comfortable United win, Callum O’Hare scored a second Sky Blues goal with a long-range effort that took a wicked deflection off Aaron Wan-Bissaka before beating a motionless Andre Onana.
The Cameroonian was then called into a superb save to keep out Victor Torp’s ferocious effort, but Coventry incredibly managed to wipe out United’s lead deep into stoppage time when Wan-Bissaka was penalised for handball from a Luis Binks cross. Haji Wright confidently dispatched the subsequent penalty, and this pulsating semi-final was heading into extra time.
The match was being played at an electric pace in extra time, and after Fernandes and Simms both rattled the woodwork, it looked like Torp had completed the most amazing of comebacks after sliding the ball home from Wright’s ball across the box, only to the be denied by the most marginal of offside calls.
Penalties beckoned, and this absolutely incredible tie reached its conclusion when Ben Sheaf blazed his spot-kick over the bar, paving the way for Rasmus Hojlund to dispatch his spot-kick to take United into the final by the skin of their teeth.
A second consecutive final awaits United, and Pep Guardiola’s men will be the opposition once again back at Wembley. On the evidence of their second half performance in particular, it will take a brave individual to back United to right the wrongs of last year’s 2-1 defeat.