Manchester United Rise From The Dead To Beat Coventry city 4-2 On Penalties To Reach FA Cup Final
- Manchester United's comfortable lead evaporated into a high-stakes battle as they fought back from a 3-0 advantage to secure a tense victory against Coventry City.
- Referee Robert Jones' contentious penalty decision in stoppage time, coupled with VAR's confirmation, allowed Coventry to claw back from the brink and level the score at 3-3.
- The match culminated in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, where Manchester United's resilience shone through as they held their nerve to clinch a hard-fought 4-2 victory
Manchester United’s stroll in the park turned into a nail-biting survival test at Wembley, as they were forced to battle back from a 3-0 lead, survived a disallowed Coventry City winner in extra time, and narrowly edged past the Championship side 4-2 on penalties to secure a spot in next month’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Initially cruising with goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire, and Bruno Fernandes, Erik ten Hag’s squad found themselves in a tense showdown as Coventry rallied. Ellis Simms and Callum O’Hare narrowed the gap with two quick goals in the second half, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
With hearts racing, Victor Torp threatened with a powerful strike, and Coventry relentlessly pressed United’s goal. Referee Robert Jones’ decision to award a penalty in stoppage time, upheld by VAR, allowed Haji Wright to level the score at 3-3.
Extra time brought more twists as Wright narrowly missed, Simms hit the crossbar, and Coventry had a potential winner disallowed for a tight offside call, denying Torp’s heroics.
In the tense penalty shootout, United’s Casemiro had his shot saved, but Andre Onana denied O’Hare, and Ben Sheaf blazed his attempt over the bar. Rasmus Hojlund’s successful penalty ultimately sealed United’s place in the final.
Despite Onana receiving a second yellow card during the shootout, he won’t face suspension for the final as FA Cup cautions reset after the quarter-finals, a rule akin to what occurred with Emiliano Martinez in Aston Villa’s recent Europa Conference League victory.
