Jess Lee
Manchester United scraped past Championship side Coventry in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup in a game that had it all! Coventry returned from a three-goal deficit, leading to extra time and a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
KICK-OFF
The Manchester side heavily dominated the first half, leaving Coventry stunned into silence. Scott McTominay kicked off the goals just after the twentieth minute. After a charging run into the box, McTominay blasted the ball into the net on the back of a Diogo Dalot cross.
Manchester United 1-0 Coventry
This saw a sea of red erupt in the stands as United took the lead. Harry Maguire headed it in to increase the goal deficit to two in the forty-fifth minute. He leapt tallest in the box on the end of an out-swinging corner to drive home a bullet header.
Manchester United 2-0 Coventry
After a minute of added time in the first half, referee Robert Jones called for the break. Coventry needed to dig deep to come back in the second forty-five.
HALF-TIME
It was Bruno Fernandes who continued with United’s goal streak. With half an hour to play, his shot found the back of the net after being aided by a deflection.
Manchester United 3-0 Coventry
However, the game was far from over as Coventry entered a period of resurgence. Everton loanee Ellis Simms put a goal on the scoreboard for the Championship side. He slotted the ball past Andre Onana on the half-volley with his shin, following a threaded pass from Fabio Tavares.
Manchester United 3-1 Coventry
Eight minutes later, Coventry managed to bring the deficit to just one. A long-range shot from Callum O’Hare deflected off the head of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The ball looped over the head of Onana, causing a thrilling end to the game.
Manchester United 3-2 Coventry
United needed only to hold on for the final ten minutes to secure their place in the FA Cup Final. The clock ticked past ninety minutes; United fans were certain that they were home and dry for the next round. But, an outstretched arm in the penalty box from Wan-Bissaka had the referee point to the spot. With no interference from VAR, Coventry was awarded a last-minute lifeline to take the game to extra time. Haji Wright stepped up and converted the penalty, sending Onana the opposite way.
A MONUMENTAL TURNAROUND!! ⚽️⚽️⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) April 21, 2024
COVENTRY HAVE COME BACK FROM 3-0 DOWN!#ITVFootball | #FACup | @Coventry_city pic.twitter.com/4CRnJjxcrb
Manchester United 3-3 Coventry
When a 90+5 equaliser sent the two teams to extra time, Manchester United were stunned at throwing away their lead.
FULL-TIME
The following thirty minutes was no ceasefire as Coventry thought they stole the game.
A 121st-minute winner had Victor Torp tap the ball into the back of the net from a Haji Wright cross- or so they thought.
VAR halted the Coventry celebrations and denied them a historic victory after an offside in the buildup ruled out the goal.
A let-off for United as extra time fizzled out to a close.
PENALTIES
Next up: penalties. It was time to decide who will face Manchester City in the final. Shooting at the United end of the stadium, Casemiro was first up for the Red Devils. A miss! Coventry keeper Bradley Collins stands his ground to deny the shot.
Manchester United 0-0 Coventry
Wright was the first penalty taker for Coventry. He calmly slotted it home to give them the advantage.
Manchester United 0-1 Coventry
Dalot was next. He confidently put the ball away to give United their first penalty on the board.
Manchester United 1-1 Coventry
Torp, who thought he scored the winner, was second for Coventry. He sailed the ball into the top corner, ensuring this one would count!
Manchester United 1-2 Coventry
Next up was Christian Eriksen, who scored again for United.
Manchester United 2-2 Coventry
One of Coventry’s top performers, Callum O’Hare, was up next. Onana palmed away his effort to the right, again levelling the scores.
Manchester United 2-2 Coventry
Fernandes fired the next penalty into the bottom corner, giving United the advantage again.
Manchester United 3-2 Coventry
Ben Sheaf had the chance to level out the score again to keep Coventry in it. Unfortunately, his shot was fired over the crossbar, allowing United to steal the shootout.
Manchester United 3-2 Coventry
A crucial penalty was placed on the shoulders of Rasmus Hojlund. He tucked away the penalty into the corner, sending his team into the final.
FINAL THOUGHTS
United’s Harry Maguire summed up his full-time thoughts: “We started the game really well and then conceded a sloppy goal. We were unfortunate to concede the second goal. I think the penalty was so hard, but all credit to Coventry. They made it tough for us in the second half of extra time.”
Coventry’s boss, Mark Robins, said: “We knew we had to make changes, which we did at half-time. We started to look more of a threat.
“To come back from 3-0 down is incredible. Some good quality football. We were really disappointed at the end,” he continued.
Manchester United have set themselves up for a second successive Manchester derby final. The two teams will face off at Wembley on May 25th.
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Featured image courtesy of Isriya Paireepairit on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
