Righto, Jamie Jackson’s report is with us:
That means we’re done here, so thanks for your company and comments, sorry I couldn’t use them all. Peace out.
“Surely we’d all prefer ‘straight to penalties’ instead of extra time,” asserts Andrew Goudie and I understand why: extra time is rarely good, penalties always are. But I don’t think we want teams able to play for them at the end of the 90, and it’s worth all the poor half-hours for the occasional good one.
“I would like to add the there’s a good argument for REM to be considered the best band to come from American shores,” says Matthew Lysaght. “It’s also a pity that Heaven didn’t get number 17 at Utd. A chance missed.”
Ha, agreed. And REM are, for mine, the best band of my music-listening career, though Nirvana also have a shout.
Ruben Amorim is as disappointed as you’d expect. He says his team had the chance to win it with the changes, but the aim is not to win the Cup but the league and they’re improving. He has to recover the players for Sociedad on Thursday and try to push the players that are out, as those involved today are tired. A lot of videos, a lot of recovery, and they’ll be ready.
Back to the draw, Bournemouth away might be the hardest possible game City, the favourites, could’ve been handed. Otherwise, I’d expect Villa to beat Preston and Forest to beat Ipswich but lose to Brighton. I’m really looking forward to the denouement of this competition; with apologies to City fans, it’d be fantastic if literally any other club won it.
The quarter-final draw
Fulham v Palace
Preston v Villa
Bournemouth v Man City
Brighton v Forest or Ipswich
“Steven Benda was Fulham’s keeper in our marathon shootout loss to Preston,” says Lindsay Christison, “and he is the dodgiest ever...”
OK, OK, and Andre Onana is so dodgy he’s too dodgy even to save penalties. I can’t imagine any keeper getting less close to stopping any – save Peter Shilton at Italia 90, obviously, and David de Gea in the 2021 Europa League final.
Here’s the hero of the hour, Bernd Leno, who says he thinks Fulham deserved to win after 90 and 120 – generous, I think – and congratulates his teammates who took penalties. He thinks his team can win the competition, would you believe.
The draw, by the way, is coming right up. Check it out here:
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Well done Fulham, who beat United in the Cup for the first time since 1908. Bernd Leno made two very good saves – from very miserable penalties – and given who’s left, they’ve a pretty decent chance of doing something epochal.
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SAVE! Manchester United 3-4 Fulham (Zirkzee) FULHAM ARE INTO THE LAST EIGHT! THE HOLDERS ARE OUT!
The hero at Arsenal takes a dog this time, passing low and softly as Leno guesses right, going right, and it’s an easy save.
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GOAL! Manchester United 3-4 Fulham (Robinson)
Onana takes off early, going right, so Robinson calmly rolls left. Zirkzee must score the next one or the holders are gone.
SAVE! Manchester United 3-3 Fulham (Lindelof)
The keeper guesses right, going left, and the ball, hit low, isn’t in the corner or close to it.
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GOAL! Manchester United 3-3 Fulham (Willian)
Willian waits, waits, waits, Onana goes left so he passes right.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-2 Fulham (Casemiro)
Punishes into the roof, left-hand side. Players are soo good at these nowadays. Five perfect pens.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-2 Fulham (Berge)
Rammed brilliantly into the roof, near the top-left.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (Jimenez)
Opens body, passes firmly into the right side-netting.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (Jimenez)
Various stutters then a finish into the same corner, a little higher up.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Fulham (Fernandes)
A prompt sweep into the left side-netting.
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Alan Shearer notes the first FA Cup tie to go to penalties was at old Trafford – he played, Southampton beating United. it was Ryan Giggs who missed the key kick, juggling the ball on his way to the spot. Anyway, Bruno is ready and off we go!
They toss for ends and Fernandes wins, picking the Stretford End; he also wins the going first spin, and opts to go first.
I’ve a theory that dodgy keepers – your Dudeks, your Beasants and so on – save penalties. If so, United are the likelier winners.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-1 Fulham
Penalties it is. United won a shoot-out at Arsenal in the last round; Fulham lost one 16-15 to Preston in this season’s Milk Cup.
120+1 min Dalot hurls every fibre of his corporeality into the hurl, Fulham clear, Casemiro fouls, and that’ll be it.
120 min Or he can curl directly into Onana’s midriff. One additional minute and United have a throw deep inside the Fulham half.
119 min Bassey into Jimenez, who control well, and Mazraoui’s desperate lunge hands Fulham a free-kick near the left corner of the box, seconds left. From this angle, he can aim for the far side-netting and give the keeper a problem: does he come or not?
119 min Alan Shearer gives Fernandes player of the match, and I can’t argue with that. He’s not had one of his better days but he’s still been the pick of a very bad bunch.
117 min Fulham get it away, Mazraoui does well to head Willian’s hit-and-hope away, and Fernandes pirouettes to send United away again, but when Zirkzee allows the pass through his legs, he can’t catch up with it. Of course he can’t.
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116 min Zirkzee, who’s improved through the game, gives it away, then robinson gives it back to him, the foul is inevitable, and Fernandes will now hump a free-kick into the box.
115 min “Yeah, apt thread as I am feeling some deep sleep coming on watching this,” says Michael Coppejans. “I would feel negligent to not throw in Pavement’s song about R.E.M.”
114 min Willian’s delivery is decent but somehow everyone in the middle misses it, Obi eventually bringing the ball clear and waiting for Bassey to foul him.
113 min Garnacho collects the ball out in the left, pulls down the line, and crosses to the near post, but Obi can’t quite get there. I know game-state is relevant, but he’s making Hojiund look a little silly with the grief he’s causing. Meantime, Fulham win a corner down the right, Willian to take...
112 min Good work from Mazraoui, taking advanatge of a poor touch to chapeau his marker before flicking back for Casemiro, alongside … whose low curler from the edge is wide of the near post.
111 min A ball in behind for Jimenez, but Heaven sees him away well. He’s looked decent since coming on.
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110 min This has been one of the better extra-times I’ve seen and Fulham spread to Sessegnon, who shimmies outside then nips inside Dalot far too easily, drilling a shot that Onana saves low down to his near post.
108 min Good from United, Obi fighting through challenges inside the box and allowing Casemiro to take over, who can’t quite get to the ball in time. He’s played well since coming on, though.
108 min Fulham try Sessegnon for Iwobi.
107 min Again, Garnacho – who’s made a difference – drives forward with the ball, dipping inside to open a shooting lane before wasting over the top.
106 min Excellent work from Fulham, Berge firing into Reed who raises a leg to control superbly, and he finds Jimenez who finds smith Rowe, who should shoot. But instead he squares and heaven makes a fine tackle on Reed, before the flag goes up.
106 min Off we go again. Can anyone find a winner?
HALF-TIME IN EXTRA-TIME: Manchester United 1-1 Fulham
United look the likelier, but penalties look likelier still.
105+2 min The corner comes to nowt and that’ll be all for the first period.
105+1 min Casemiro has made a difference and he feeds a ball in behind for Obi who opts not to hit with his left, opening body to lift with the right … and Leno extends a stiff arm to block behind. He’s been a lot more dangerous than Zirkzee; that was a really good save.
105 min “I’m sure this match has been going on for three days now,” says Gary Weightman, who I’m going to quote when putting in for overtime. One minute added time in extra time.
103 min United continue their search for a winner, Zirkzee doing well to pull wide and square for Obi, Andersen doing even better to time his tackle and win the ball. He’s late there, or he takes the man, and it’s a penalty.
102 min United win a free-kick just inside the Fulham half so send everyone forward and Fernandes sticks into the box, Hayden heading wide from a way out.
101 min Marco Silva sends on Harrison Reed for Lukic.
100 min De Ligt wins a big challenge and the loose ball squirts to Bruno, he clips a lovely disguised reverse-pass in for Obi … whose first touch is heavy. That would’ve been a great chance with decent control, especially for so calm a finisher so, by the standards of this game, that was a chance.
99 min But it’s Lindelof who almost gets them into trouble, a decent cross from Castagne miskicked; he’s lucky Smith rwoe was on heels, allowing Onana to grab.
98 min “Do we not switch ends at the start of extra time?” wonders Michael Robinson. '“I’m sure United were kicking at the East Stand in the second half, and they are doing again!”
It’s a fresh toss as I discover that, while I was taking a comfort break, United sent on young Ayden Heaven, recently poached from Arsenal, on for a debut in place of Maguire. That’s a huge risk.
96 min “‘Wasted his best years’ is a bit harsh,” says Dan Christmas on Fernandes – “he’s going to be very well remembered at a club that only really remembers legendary players, when he’s only really very good. Maybe.”
He’s a United legend, though, the Bryan Robson of the Wilderness YearsTM. he dragged United to the Cup last season and was the main reason they won the Littlewoods the one before. Imagine him with players of similar standard and mentality alongside.
95 min United have been the better side the last 10 or so minutes. It’s a low bar, granted, but nevertheless.
93 min Fantastic pass from Casemiro for Garnacho, away in the inside-left channel. But like a Kick-Off 2 player, he can’t get outside of the ball, running in a straight line before walloping high into the side-netting.
92 min Fulham knock it about under no pressure, Iwobi eventually crossing and De Ligt hoofing aimlessly despite there being no attacker within 10 yards of him.
91 min “One thing I like about Bruno Fernandes, says Kári Tulinius, “is that he just doesn’t look like a modern footballer, he looks more like a sad professor (incidentally, Up is the great, under-appreciated R.E.M. album).”
I agree it’s probably their best post-Monster.
91 min We go again. Penalties if we’re still level after another 30 and change.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-1 Fulham
Extra-time it is.
90+11 min United come again, De Ligt winning a long ball inside the box and Obi is there as Leno comes out! But he can’t quite get enough on his finish, turning over the dive but without enough draw to get it inside the near post.
90+10 min Lukic crosses, Mazraoui heads away, then Casemiro plays a fine pass into Obi who controls well and lays off to Zirkzee, who turns adroitly then feeds Garnacho through the middle with a lovely ball … but under pressure, he can’t get anything on his shot, Leno saving easily enough.
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90+8 min Smith Rowe slides down the left for Robinson, whose cross beats everyone in the box, and that might be time, but we might also get a bit longer because of the treatment Pereira took.
90+7 min Better from United, Obi chasing a long ball and knocking Bassey off it then, with Zirkzee screaming for a square-pass, he tries a shot that flies wide of the far post.
90+6 min Lukic is late on Zirkzee, who might just be coming into it; the defenders go up for the free-kick, though it’s well inside the United half, Onana goes short to Fernandes, and Fulham get the ball away.
90+5 min Good work from Iwobi on the right and moving towards the box, picking out Smith Rowe on the edge, who shoots in a manner not dissimilar to Bruno for the United goal. But he’s further out so Onana has a chance to dive, doing just enough to tip it away; good save.
90+3 min “Bruno has also been quite loyal to a seemingly lost cause,” says Shawn Grant. “He could have petulantly forced his way out at some point, but has chosen to stick around. Surprised his agent hasn’t told him (Don’t go back to) Manchester. And waste another year.”
Mike Mills’ barnet here, spectacular. But yes, Fernandes has wasted his best years when he deserves better and is now so pot-committed he’ll probably stay for the duration.
90+3 min Fulham send on Willian and Jimenez for Pereira and Muniz.
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90+1 min We’ll have eight additional minutes, more than enough time for these to get nowhere near forcing a winner. Meantime, a stoppage with United on the attack, Pereira down having run into an unwitting De Ligt.
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90 min Fernandes’ delivery is decent too, picking out Maguire, but he can’t get enough on the header, the effort easily saved by Leno.
88 min Zirksee, by the way, could scarcely have done less today. He’s got a nice touch and imagination, but he’s nowhere near quick enough and rather than find workarounds, he plays like he’s rapid. As I type, though, he pulls a ball in tight, turns, shields, and wins a free-kick off Lukic, 30 yards out, left-hand side.
87 min A bit of United possession, Mazraoui into Casemiro, whose sweep over the top for Zirkzee is too heavy. So back come Fulham with Iwobi, the ball worked over to the other side only for Maguire to head clear Robinson’s poor cross.
85 min Bassey into Robinson into Smith Rowe, whose pass in behind has too much on it, De Ligt sending out for a throw; Fulham keep on them, but without threatening anything.
84 min Smith Rowe runs in behind down the left and Pereira finds him with a nice, disguised reverse-pass. But Fernandes sticks with him well, then he slips. Extra-time looks inevitable.
82 min Fulham look by far the likelier scorers, and have options on the bench to change things, most notably Raul Jimenez, currently prowling the touchline.
80 min “You are basically right about Fernandes’ wonderfulness and awesomeness,” says Mark Regan in Juneau, Alaska, “but, he’s also a world-class whiner.”
He is, but don’t confuse sketchy on-pitch behaviour with human qualities; he’s a good man. Imagine if, instead of buying him, United had made a purchase of standard Wilderness Years quality. I’m laughing out loud in a room on my own at the mere thought of it.
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79 min Excellent from Garnacho, coming deep and turning adroitly before moving boxwards. But just as things look to be opening up, he shoots tamely and Leno collects easily … then Pereira sends an equally poor effort but from less advantageous a position, over the bar.
79 min Since United scored, it’s been all Fulham.
78 min The corner goes to the back post but is still too high for Andersen, who heads over.
77 min A clever pass over the top from Iwobi and Muniz gets between De Ligt and Maguire, but just as he looks set to poke his team back in front, Maguire extends a go-go Gadget leg to force the ball behind.
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75 min Zirkzee goes down after an aerial challenge with, I think, Lukic; he got an arm in the neck, but should be fine.
74 min Immediately, though, Fulham are back at United, Castagne crossing from the right and De Ligt, fully stretched, poking to the edge and Robison is there! But his right-footed curler flies well over, and this is, i believe, what they call tempo.
72 min Old Trafford has woken up. There’s now a cup-tie feel about this cup-tie.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (Fernandes 71)
Where on earth would United be without this man? He’s not perfect, no, but imagine their last five years without him! Dalot opts not to waste another cross, cutting back from the left, and Fernandes steps away to make space, using the pace and direction of the ball to sweep a perfect left-footed finish just past Leno’s drive, spinning low into the far side-netting. What a player.
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70 min Onana punches clear, taking a bit of Lindelof too, and United counter, Dalot delivering another poor cross, but for once his mates sustain the attack…
69 min A long ball and Muniz flicks on nicely, Pereira collects, and he’s one-on-one with Lindelof, United’s back three now the slowest since records began. But the defenders holds him up well enough, allowing De Ligt to tank over and into a decent challenge; corner to Fulham.
68 min Two more changes for United, Obi and Casemiro for Hojlund and Eriksen.
67 min A recess, for Mazraoui to celebrate iftar with Lucozade and a tub of something.
66 min Fulham knock it about, Hojlund chasing to little avail. He has, I’m afraid, had another Hojlund game, enduring dreadful service but with little knack for finding space and anticipating where the ball might arrive.
64 min And here come Fulham, Smith Rowe taking the ball and dragging a shot through De Ligt’s legs as the defender jumps aimlessly; Onana plunges to his right and applies just enough palm to ball.
63 min To win this competition last season, United beat Liverpool in an epic, almost lost to Coventry from 3-0 up, and beat Manchester City in impressive fashion. So far, this is the tepidest of concessions/.
62 min The first flash of Fernandes who, after acceptable work from Zirkzee, takes a pass from Eriksen, works the ball on to his right foot and, from 25 yards, shoots; Leno saves easily enough.
61 min The how crowd try to rouse United, then Garnacho bursts past Castagne on the outside, only to thrash his cross beyond everyone. That too was a highlight.
59 min On Thursday night, United are away to Sociedad; a bad result and their season could be almost over. If so, it’s a long way home from there.
58 min Robinson and Smith Rowe interchange nicely, the letter doing well to bring a pass from behind him into stride. But when he tries to meg De Ligt, the defender closes the gap, and the resultant throw comes to nowt.
57 min Inspired, Dalot takes a pass from Garnacho and stands up a cross, Mazraoui heading tamely into the ground; Leno collects easily.
57 min Garnacho lets rip a screamer of a snot rocket. It’s United’s most threatening move of the game.
56 min Nice turn from Muniz, who looks for Smith Rowe as Mazraoui slips … but the pass is behind him and the defender recovers to clear.
55 min United win a free-kick 45 yards out and Eriksen swing into the box, but puts too much on it for any of its would-be attackers. Ten minutes of the second half gone and the home side have offered nothing.
52 min Marco Silva send on Smith Rowe for Traore, which will give United a different threat to police, while Amorim tries Garnacho for Ugarte – Eriksen will drop in next to Bruno, making as physically weak a two as can ever have been deployed, and Lindelof replaces Yoro. That should sort it.
51 min We’ve barely seen Bruno so far. United have to find a way of getting him on the ball; he needs to find a way of getting himself on the ball. Meantime, Traore goes down with what looks like a dicky ankle, presumably after falling down that ramp behind the goal, and that’ll be his day done.
50 min United are just so ponderous and unimaginative in everything they do. but there’s another diag from De Ligt to Dalot, Anderson in quickly to challenge Eriksen.
49 min Garnacho has taken his trousers off. He’ll be on soon, unless he’s got different plans.
48 min They can, and when Fulham pick up the loose ball then pump it back in, they’re soon caught offside.
47 min Traore attacks Dalot, crosses, and as the ball is blocked behind he runs off down the slope and bangs into the hoarding. Corner to Fulham; can United defend this one properly?
46 min We go again. No changes, but Garnacho is surely imminent, perhaps Obi too. United have almost nothing else available.
“If United are going to get back in this,” returns David Wall, ‘they’ll need a lot of Electrolyte(s) at half time. If they don’t this could represent a new Low for Amorim’s side. And they can be sure the whole Country (will) Feedback about that.”
Talking of which, what a version this is:
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“Also on the ‘save our concession’ banner,” writes David Wall, “by making nitpicking cuts to try to plug holes in the outgoings rather than looking at the Glazers’ debt and dividends, is Ratcliffe attempting new adventures in hi-fi(nance).”
I’m not sure, but at some point there’s got to be a Reckoning.
“United’s defence of that corner,” says Richard Wood. “Stand in the place where you are.”
Someone in the ground just messaged me wondering if it was corner and looking again, it might well have come off Pereira not Fernandes. Fulham won’t care.
HALF-TIME: Manchester United 0-1 Fulham
A miserable half of football, but now we’ve got a goal, perhaps it’ll improve. Or, er, perhaps not.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Fulham (Bassey 45+1)
All united need to do is see this ball away and they cannot. Pereira swings out, Muniz is there before Ugarte then Bassey, peeling off at the far post, is there before Mazraoui, guiding past Onana from close range with head and shoulder. In his first FA Cup game, he’s scored his first FA Cup goal!
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45 min Bit of possession for Fulham, Traore feeding one in behind for Castagne, whose cross is blocked behind by Bruno. Corner with the first half almost over … which Maguire heads clear. But the visitors soon win another as the fourth official signals there’s to be one minute of additional time.
43 min “Pathetic game so far,” says Duncan Edwards. “Meanwhile there’s talk of restricting the time that goalies can hold the ball and I’m all in favour. Is it me or has there also been a creep up in players not retreating 10 yards at free kicks, and throw-ins taking a fortnight?”
And, if you’re Arsenal, over corners. I too think this is a good change, all the more so given teams have now realised good set-pieces are part of their job and also extremely rewarding.
42 min Given Fulham kicked off, we can only assume United opted not to attack the Stretford End in the second half as per tradition. I wonder if that’s to lessen the pressure on them; what a sorry state of affairs that’d be.
40 min This time, Fulham clear properly and United build again, Bruno swinging over a terrific ball from the right, Zirkzee stealing a yard off Bassey – imagine his shame! – to extend a leg and poke wide of the near post. Good effort but never likely to result in a goal.
39 min The corner is half-cleared, Pereira heading out to Ugarte on the edge, and his hooked shot is deflected behind.
38 min But as I type, Iwobi drifts a lovely ball into the box and, arriving late, Lukic races on to it, but he can’t get over it hard though he tries, heading over the top. United immediately go down the other end and force a corner.
37 min This started promisingly, with both sides looking to score, but now we know neither is good enough, it’s become pretty dull.
36 min United are missing Garnacho’s pace and enterprise. They’re back to not creating, rather than creating and missing.
35 min Onana catches the corner and with 10 minutes left in the half, we’ve still to see a serious scoring opportunity.
34 min Fulham win a free-kick inside the United half, Pereira pinging in behind, before Mazraoui opts to concede a corner.
33 min But where there’s Onana and Mauire there’s hope, and they almost get in each other’s road when Casatagne curls in an ostensibly poor cross, the keeper seizing at the second time of asking.
31 min Bassey easily out-muscles Hojlund, who doesn’t – yet? – know how to use his size, then collides with Mazraoui. Neither side looks to have any idea how to score.
30 min “Re the opening photo,” begins Ian Sargeant, “which showed the ‘save our concession’ banner, are there any exceptions to the planned price rises at Old Trafford or are they automatic for the people?”
I’m not sure, but the Glazers are definitely out of time.
28 min The free-kick is poor and comes to nowt.
27 min Error after error, a poor backheel from Hojlund ruining an attack before Traore gives it away, fouls Bruno, and Pereira is booked for whinging.
26 min …then shoots straight into the wall, Robinson thrashing the rebound somewhere towards Droylsden.
25 min De Ligt gives it away to Pereira, who, carrying it forwards, is tripped by Ugaerte. He’s booked and will miss the next round if United progress; Fulham have a free-kick a few yards outside the box, left of centre. Lukic shoos Pereira away and takes aim…
24 min Another Fulham cross, another ball that’s easy for Onana to collect – Iwobi the culprit this time.
22 min United fans will wonder what Dorgu might’ve made of the passes De Ligt’s fizzed out to Dalot. One to watch but, in the meantime, we’ve a bit of a lull.
20 min “Mixed emotions today,” writes Robert Smilie. “Been a Utd fan all my life thanks to dad carrying out National Service in Manchester in the 50s and passing his love for them on to me. But have family connection to Fulham through great-granddad Billy Morrison who played for Fulham the last time they beat Utd in Cup.”
That was, I believe, in 1907-08; United came back the next season and won it for the first time in their history.
19 min Yet again, De Ligt hits Dalot with another excellent pass – this looks like a plan – but Dalot can’t control.
17 min Dalot takes a throw quickly and finds Eriksen, left side, just outside the box. He curls hard, but at saveable height, and a diving Leno shoves away.
16 min “United’s management of football in the last decade and the inevitable current fall brings to mind the immortal words of Stipe,” says Karen Asad. “Buy the sky and sell the sky/And bleed the sky and tell the sky/Don’t fall on me”.
The album from which that song comes, Life’s Rich Pageant, is, for mine, the best of the early years. A work of complete genius.
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15 min Bruno sends one forward that Bassey misses and Hojlund collects well, but Andersen makes a telling challenge.
15 min Iwobi takes the ball and, just as Steve Wilson notes what a good season he’s having, runs the ball into touch.
14 min This is maturing into an entertaining encounter, as I type Eriksen pulling wide, taking a pass from Dalot and clipping a ball to the near post, Hojlund nicking a yard before driving wide.
12 min The corner, though, sees normal service resume, Fulham clearing easily.
11 min Another good ball swept out to Dalot by Onana and this time the cross is decent, just too hard for Zirkzee, then Ugarte catches Robinson in possession and feeds Bruno, whose shot is shovelled awkwardly around the post by Leno.
10 min Fulham are growing into this, Robinson moving by Mazraoui and looking to cross, but the defender gets back at him well, his block allowing Onana to claim.
9 min Pereira’s pass misses Munoz but winds up with Traore, who slows Dalot down, shifts it, and digs out a cross to the back post, but neither Pereira nor Muniz cam do anything with it.
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8 min A mix-up between Yoro and Bruno gives Traore the ball, but United recover shape well and force Fulham back to Leno.
7 min First bit of Traore, who curls a cross directly into Onana’s arms.
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6 min De Ligt spreads nicely to Dalot, who dips inside and shoots, directly at Lukic. I type these words advisedly, but United have started fairly well.
5 min Mazraoui sends a decent-looking pass down the line, so Bassey ragdolls Hojlund – for the first time this afternoon – and clears.
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4 min “Only seven subs on the bench?” says Andrew Goudie of United. “Saves them a bit of cash, I suppose.”
Maybe the lack of wins is a ruse to save on bonuses. Clever, clever.
3 min United pass nicely out of defence, just, then Ugarte hangs on too long and wins a free-kick, just. Fulham are looking to win the ball high up the pitch, which might just leave space in behind.
2 min In which regard a problem Amorim has is only Bruno can pass through midfield, which is why he’s deeper, except also only Bruno can score and create, which is why he’s missed further forward.
1 min As expected, it’s Mazraoui on the right and Dalot on the left with Bruno in the midfield and Eriken as one of the 10s.
1 min United pick to attack the Stretford End first half, strange, then Fulham kick off.
Of course, these sides met in the last eight the season before last. United won a riotous encounter 3-1.
Brighton have won 2-1 at Newcastle. That’s fantastic work from Fabian Hurzeler’s boys.
Our teams are tunnelled … and here they come!
Email! “It’s written in the stars that Fulham will win,” reckons Richard Hirst. “This unusual optimism is not just because it is my birthday but because Preston are still in the Cup, Fulham having lost 16-15 on penalties to Preston in the Carabao, and what could be more Fulhamish than to beat Man Utd then lose again to Preston.”
Hilariously, United have beaten Fulham twice this season. But I’d expect them to set about this with far greater aggression than in either league match.
Wayne Rooney, sacked from Plymouth when they were bottom of the Championship, thinks United have been hard to watch under Amorim. I know!
Public service announcement: the greatest and soundest band of the last 40 years are back! And how we need them!
We’re now watching an interview with Harrance Maguire; I hope you didn’t miss his ear-cup into knee-slide after scoring against Ipswich. Expect to see him piercing his ears and sporting a sleeve next.
On BBC they’ve been extolling Sander Berge, who’s turning out to be an excellent signing. He’s got great physicality, in the tackle but more than that on the ball, and is a clever, economical passer. Operating in the space United need to attack from, he’ll be a key figure today however the game shakes out.
Oh man, how United could use Daniel Welbeck, probably the player whose career suffered most for Alex Ferguson’s retirement. He’s just scored a jazzer to give Brighton the lead at Newcastle with six minutes of extra time remaining; that’s two more goals since Tuesday than Hojlund has since mid-December.
Andreas Pereira, the pre-season Messi, will be buzzing for this one. He got chances at United and wasn’t quite good enough to take them, but has come on a lot since then, a proven and established Premier League player. I mentioned earlier that United lack physicality at wing-back, which they do, and they also lack pace in the centre of defence – of the three men stationed there, only Leny Yoro can run. As such, I’d expect him to try and put his front men in races with them whenever possible.
I very much enjoyed this.
a Blyth Spartans fan telling players how much it kills him to see his club in an utter mess
— Luke (@LRbix) March 1, 2025
Rivalries aside respect to him there 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ck6uYEg6xF
Something to look out for: United won in the last round with a set-piece and scored from three in midweek. It’s clear that they’ve been working on them in training, in Mathijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire have two men who go forward for them looking to score, and Bruno’s delivery, iffy at best for almost all of his five years at Old Trafford, has been sensational.
Marco Silva says the Cup is very important for Fulham. From the start he’s taken every opponent seriously and wants to win and reach the last eight.
Amorim tells BBC that Garnacho “had an issue last game”, so they’ve decided to use Eriksen with him left on the bench. He was happy with 20 minutes against Everton and says his team played well against Ipswich with 11 then suffered together with 10. All in all, he thinks United are improving.
So where is the game? United will look to play into their two 10s – they’ve little threat out wide – with Fernandes also there to join in. No doubt they’ll want Hojlund to dart in behind, down the sides of the centre-backs, but whether or not he does, he can can say?
As for Fulham, they may have changed formation for other reasons, but they’re now much better-equipped to exploit the space behind the wing-backs. In particular, Traore has legsand power on Dalot, while Lukic and Bergew will fancy themselves too physical for Eriksen and Zirkzee.
Fulham, meanwhile, will have restored players who were rested for this match. With their Premier League status secure, they’ve no reason not to go all-out for the Cup, and given the teams left, they’ve a decent chance of making something happen. Bassey is exactly the kind of centre-back Hojlund can spend an entire match fruitless fighting; Robinson is a one-man left-flank; and Iwobi has excellent ball-carrying capabilities.
Amorim has little in the way of options. He’ll be devo’d about Dorgu, banned for the first of three games – already, his new signing had made a difference, giving United width, balance and physicality, doing the right things and building a promising partnership with Bruno Fernandes. Mazraoui, though a lovely footballer, offers little attacking threat from wing-back, likewise Diogo Dalot on the other side, while there could scarcely be less pace behind the nominal centre-forward, Rasmus Hojlund, both Eriksen and Joshua Zirzkee looking like they run in a wind-tunnel.
But before that, though, we’re into extra time at SJP.
Imma write these down, then we’l wonder what they might mean in a little more detail.
Marco Silva, meanwhile, leaves out Jorge Cuenca, Issa Diop and Ryan Sessengon – who scored in the midweek win at Wolves – with Calvin Bassey, Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi coming in. That means a change of shape from 3-4-2-1 to 4-2-3-1.
Ruben Amorim makes two changes to the side that sneaked by Ipswich in midweek: Alejandro Garnacho, who stomped down the tunnel after being sacrificed following Patrick Dorgu’s red card, is on the bench having bought the squad tea by way of apology; the two are replaced by Noussair Mazraoui and Christian Eriksen.
Teams!
Manchester United (3-4-3): Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot Fernandes, Ugarte, Mazraoui; Eriksen, Zirkzee; Hojlund. Subs: Graczyk, Murdock, Heaven, Lindelof, Casemiro, Garnacho, Obi.
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Traore, Pereira, Iwobi; Muniz. Subs: Benda, Cuenca, Diop, Sessegnon, Reed, Cairney, Smith Rowe, Willian, Jimenez.
Referee: Stuart Atwell (Nuneaton)
Also going on…
Before we get going with our game, it’s 10 v 10 at St James’, it’s 1-1 with four minutes injury-time to play … and there’s been a development!
Preamble
We live in age of extremes, and even as the world order is bulldozed by artless dunces, there remains little as extreme than football. Dealing almost uniquely in polarised emotions – love and hate, buzzing and gutted, furious and sanguine – never has it reflected our world more.
As such, it is unsurprising that, as we ponder a fascinating cup-tie, all the fuss is about the rich folk noisily failing, imposing unwarranted suffering on all connected to it bar those whose fault it is . Handed a new contract to a failing manager? Fire some workers. Bussed a dizzying sum of money buying him yet more substandard players? Increase ticket prices. Spend over £20m firing him a few months later, as everyone else knew you would? Serve staff gruel for dinner.
Really, though, we should be talking about Fulham. After returning to the Premier League in 2022, they finished 10th then 13th and now, with 10 games left in their third season back, they sit comfortably in ninth. The work of Marco Silva and his players – set against the backdrop of an expensively extended ground – may be understated, but it is not less brilliant for that.
Of course, our world being our world and our football being our football, not everything is ideal – Fulham tickets are as disgracefully priced as anyone’s – but they remain an example of a rare and underrated skill: competence. A level that, should their players hit it today, would give them an excellent chance of progressing to the last eight of a competition they’ve never won. This is going to be good.
Kick-off: 4.30pm GMT
