Manchester United secured a spot in the FA Cup final against their rival Manchester City in a way that nobody expected.
In a dramatic semifinal match on Sunday, United lost a three-goal lead against second-tier Coventry. They were saved by a very close offside call by the VAR in extra time, which kept the score at 3-3. Then, they came back from behind in a penalty shootout to advance to the final on May 25 at Wembley Stadium.
The celebrations of United after Rasmus Hojlund scored the final penalty for a 4-2 shootout win were a mix of relief and joy. United’s players looked almost embarrassed compared to Coventry’s players, who received praise from their fans.
This way of advancing to the final won’t ease the growing uncertainty about United manager Erik ten Hag’s position.
Even winning against City might not save his job. United is currently in seventh place in the Premier League.
The team’s late collapse against Coventry follows a pattern of poor performances in recent weeks, which will worry the team’s new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, who was at Wembley after running the London Marathon.
United captain Bruno Fernandes said, “The club’s standards are much higher than what we have been doing,” despite his team reaching the FA Cup final.
City defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the first semifinal on Saturday. Last year, City won 2-1 against United in the final, leading to a treble win in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
It was the first-ever cup final between the local rivals. Now, another final has come just 12 months later. Many don’t expect a different result next month. City hopes to win the Premier League title again by then.
Ten Hag said, “It’s mixed feelings.” He wasn’t happy with how they won against Coventry.
United has a bad habit of losing leads. It happened again against a strong Coventry team led by Mark Robins, a former Man United striker who once saved Alex Ferguson from getting fired.
