The first half was hardly memorable, but United were somewhat superior throughout the 45 minutes. It was therefore difficult to accept when Calvin Bassey nodded home the visitors’ goal mere seconds before the end of the half, leaving the Reds facing an uphill climb on the other side of the break. Fulham came out strong after the break, but their lead was broken when Bruno Fernandes directed a shot from inside the penalty area into the bottom right corner.

Extra time and penalties were required to determine the victor, and regrettably, it was the visitors who advanced to the next round of the cup, winning 4-3 in a shootout.

FIRST HALF: LATE SETBACK

The Reds got off to a very calm start in the first five minutes, but the early indicators were good, as they appeared at ease on the ball and pressed Fulham well out of possession. Both teams were able to bring the ball into the box early on, thanks to Diogo Dalot and Adama Traore on United’s left flank, but neither created a clear-cut chance.

Fernandes took advantage of our first meaningful opportunity shortly after the 10-minute mark. The United captain had been directing from his center base, marshalling his teammates into their optimal positions per Ruben Amorim’s instructions. He almost scored when he hit a thunderous shot from the edge of the box, prompting an uneasy parry behind from Bernd Leno, indicating the pressure United were mounting. Christian Eriksen, playing in one of two advanced midfield positions, created the next such incident, curling a goalbound effort from the left flank with his right foot, but Leno was once again on there to save it.

Things became a little more hectic halfway through the half. Passes were not always reaching their intended targets for both teams, challenges were sometimes delivered half a second too late, and neither goalie was put to the test throughout this time. When Sasa Lukic arrived late and free in the United penalty area to head on an Alex Iwobi cross, it appeared that the visitors would benefit from the pandemonium, but the midfielder could only tip the ball high above the bar. But then the big hammer strike came, nearly the last move before the referee sounded the half-time whistle.

Rodrigo Muniz headed the ball through a crowded Reds six-yard box, and Calvin Bassey was first to react, nodding past Andre Onana from point-blank range. Heading in goalless perhaps would have been a more accurate picture of the half of football, but Amorim’s men had a deficit to overcome after the interval.

SECOND HALF: A CAPTAIN’S INTERVENTION.

Following the late setback in the first half, the Reds arose determined to push the Cottagers, and they did so mostly through Diogo Dalot on the left in the early stages. On one occasion, he found Noussair Mazraoui with a whipped pass, but Leno was up to the challenge from the Moroccan international’s header. There was time for another powerful Fernandes long-range drive, which drew a save from the Fulham goalkeeper, but the away side regained control soon after the hour mark, almost doubling their advantage through substitute Emile Smith Rowe, but for Onana’s fingertip stop.

Matthijs de Ligt had just stopped a dangerous-looking Andreas Pereira attack when, somewhat unexpectedly, Fernandes scored the equaliser. As at the start of the half, Dalot’s strong running down the left wing generated the opportunity. The Portugal international found his countryman unmarked in the visitors’ box, and our captain took care of the rest, curling his finish sweetly past Leno’s hands. In the blink of an eye, United was back in the game.

The goal, while important for the Reds, did nothing to settle the intensity of the game. Within a three-minute stretch, Rodrigo Muniz, Alejandro Garnacho, and Pereira had tempting opportunities at opposite ends of the pitch, capturing the tie’s back-and-forth character. It appeared like one magical moment would determine the fate of the two battling teams in the FA Cup. Chances for Harrry Maguire, Smith Rowe, a penalty shout for Bassey’s challenge on Chido Obi, and a last-gasp one-on-one for Garnacho all threatened to be that moment, but the biggest came from Chido, who clipped narrowly wide at the death for what would have been the stuff of dreams for the teenager.

EXTRA-TIME

Some fans inside Old Trafford believed Garnacho had given United the lead with the first chance of extra time, shooting from close range into the side netting. Obi nearly curled one past Leno from a virtually same position as one of the last kicks of the first period, but he got enough on it to throw it behind, depriving the Academy youngster another historic moment. With both teams tired, there were less opportunities in the second quarter. Onana did an excellent job of stopping shots from Ryan Sessegnon and Willian, while Garnacho looked energetic as usual, but penalties would be required to separate these two.

PENALTIES

The shootout remained tied until United’s fourth attempt, when Leno got enough behind Victor Lindelof’s effort to keep it out of the net. Fernandes, Dalot, and Casemiro had all scored before then. Joshua Zirkzee came up next, and the outcome was the same. United’s destiny had been sealed; the Reds were out of the FA Cup.

Match Details

United: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire (Heaven 91), Yoro (Lindelof 54); Mazraoui, Ugarte (Garnacho 53), Fernandes (captain), Dalot; Zirkzee, Eriksen (Casemiro 68); Hojlund (Obi 68). Graczyk and Murdock were substitutes who did not play. Fernandes scored 71 goals. Booking: Ugarte. Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Bassey, Anderson, Robinson (captain); Lukic (Reed 101), Berge; Iwobi (Sessegnon 107), Andreas (Willian 90+3), Traore (Smith Rowe 53); Muniz (Jimenez 90+2). Benda, Cuenca, Diop, Sessegnon, and Cairney were not used as substitutes. Bassey scored 45 goals and added one. Andreas and Anderson are currently booked.