This match report and three talking points from the FA Cup match between Manchester United and Fulham (AET: 3-4 penalties)

During the fifth round of the FA Cup, Manchester United was eliminated from the competition by Fulham at Old Trafford. This loss continued the team’s miserable season.

Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils were unable to emerge victorious from a penalty shootout, as they had done in the third round against Arsenal. Instead, they were defeated by Arsenal by a score of 4-3 after the game had ended 1-1 after 120 minutes of ordinary play.

Within a few minutes of the halftime break, Fulham took the lead thanks to a corner kick from Calvin Bassey. Bruno Fernandes brought the score even in the second half of the match. Bernd Leno’s courageous performance from 12 yards out took place as a result of neither team being able to find another breakthrough.

What happened during the course of the game
You would have hoped that if there was ever a chance for Amorim’s Manchester United to come out of their slumber, it would be a match in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford. This match could be the only viable vehicle for the club to secure European football for the upcoming season.

However, scripts that involve the 13-time champions of the Premier League are not written in the same manner as they were in the past, particularly when it comes to quick starts or any kind of first half quality.

United’s close-range effort, which was fired over the crossbar from outside the front post after Christian Eriksen’s low cross, was about as good as it got for United in the first half. Instead, the Red Devils were left clutching at a semi-positive dynamic on the left between Eriksen, who played further forward, and Diogo Dalot. Hojlund’s shot was approximately as good as it got for United.

Fulham were more involved in the game as the first half progressed, which allowed them to acquire more and more possession of the ball. It was possible that Fulham should have scored the opening goal of the match, but Sasa Lukic made a mistake in his timing and headed Alex Iwobi’s centre shot wide.

This disappointment, however, did not endure for very long because United’s inability to maintain attention during a Fulham corner created the opportunity for Bassey to score the first goal of the game. His flicked header was turned home at the back post by the former Ajax defender, who reacted much quicker than Noussair Mazraoui to tip the ball past Andre Onana. Rodrigo Muniz was able to easily slip away from his marker and hit the ball with his flicked header.

Before United woke up and recognised they had a cup match to get back into, Amorim had already made four replacements, one of which was the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho. Typically, Fernandes was the one who gave the moment of excellence with twenty minutes remaining. He beautifully sent Dalot’s low cross into the far corner without putting a single touch on the ball.

Garnacho’s speed brought United’s performance to a higher level, but neither he nor Fulham’s Emile Smith Rowe, who forced Onana to make a save with his fingertip, were able to prevent the game from going into extra time.

As extra time began, Garnacho placed a shot into the side nett of Leno. Chido Obi, however, elicited a great stop from the German, this time with his fingertips, preventing United from taking the lead. Onana was compelled to come to the rescue of the hosts when another substitute, Ryan Sessegnon, was playing at the opposite end of the pitch.

At the conclusion of the day, penalties were required to determine who would advance to the round of eight. Fulham ultimately prevailed as a result of Leno’s decision to deny Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee the opportunity to advance.

Shootout with a penalty
A goal was scored by Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, resulting in a score of 1-0.
1-1 – Raul Jimenez, representing Fulham, scored a goal.
2-1 – Diogo Dalot (Man Utd) – SCORED ✅
2-2 – Sander Berge (Fulham) – SCORED ✅
3-2 – Casemiro (Man Utd) – SCORED ✅
3-3 – Willian (Fulham) – Scored ✅ for Fulham
3-3 – Victor Lindelof (Man United) – MISSED ❬ – 3.5 million
3-4 – Antonee Robinson, representing Fulham, scored a score of ✅
3-four – Joshua Zirkzee (Man United) – MISSED ❬ 3-four
Amorim is in desperate need of the season to come to an end. There is no way that Manchester United could be more excited about the conclusion of the 2024–2025 season.

Even though Ruben Amorim has been aware of this fact since the very first day he assumed command of United, he must still be surprised by the fact that the club appears to have regressed rather than advanced under his leadership.

For the umpteenth time, United’s poor first half performance was tepid, lethargic and simply flat bad. As the clock ticked down to halftime, they did not produce much of anything and fell asleep at the most crucial moment, which caused them to fall behind.

United had very few options available to them on the bench due to the fact that they were missing a number of players due to injuries. This is yet another reason why this campaign cannot come to a conclusion soon enough. Amorim, maybe more than any other manager in the world, requires that the summer transfer window be thrown open to the fullest extent possible.

Among the two football teams, Fulham is the superior one.