Manchester United’s season is hanging by a thread after Fulham dumped them out of the FA Cup in a brutal penalty shootout at Old Trafford. The holders, who scraped a 1-1 draw over 120 lifeless minutes, crumbled again when it mattered the most. Bernd Leno’s two saves off Lindelof and Zirkzee sealed their fate to win for the first time since 1908.
In a game of few chances and creativity, it was Fulham who came out on top after having most of the possession. In a game that needed United to be aggressive and a fight of urgency, United stayed in their shells to further dampen their season, which is already hitting rock bottom. Fulham’s Calvin Bassey bullied United in the box as he nodded in a first-half opener from a corner which was ironically United’s 13th set-piece concession this season. Repeatedly, they have failed to defend corners and it was a similar sight against Fulham as well, who were aggressive in the box and showed the intent to take the lead.
Roy Keane might not be a big fan of Bruno Fernandes, but the Portuguese Captain bailed United again, drilling a 70th-minute equalizer off Dalot’s low cross. The team would be in shambles if not for the Portuguese midfielder to salvage us time and time again. However, chances remained thin for United as they lacked a sense of identity and fight. Andre Onana time-wasting in the stoppage time was such an example, drawing boos from the Stretford End while Rasmus Hojlund’s lack of threat upfront now makes it 18 games without finding the net.
Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee missed the penalties to sum up United’s embarrassing exit in the penalty shootout. Leno, the ex-Arsenal reject, became Fulham’s saviour as he dived the right way to save United’s 4th and 5th penalty to give Fulham a last eight fixture at home with Crystal Palace.
Amorim’s Delusion: “We Had Chances”
The United boss’ post-match take? Baffling. “We had the best chances,” he claimed, ignoring 60% possession for Fulham and a toothless attack. His verdict on the season? “The goal is to win the Premier League again.” Let that sink in. 14th in the league, dumped from the Cup, yet title dreams? If this isn’t delusion at its finest, then what is. The comments were rightly called out ‘naive’ by Wayne Rooney who pointed out stability as the key requirement for United before dreaming anything close to winning the Premier League.
However, on a night of an embarrassing exit, United can look to the brighter side of Chido Obi, who looked like a man in a team full of boys after his introduction from the bench. The young forward was making spaces and trying to position himself to convert some chances. The forward did have some half chances but failed to convert them. A similar cameo of Heaven, who recently joined from Arsenal, was also praiseworthy as the young defender showed intent and fight.
With the Premier League a write-off, out of the FA Cup as well, United’s last hope is the Europa League where they face Real Sociedad in the Round of 16. Losing that fixture means no European football for United next season as well as severe financial implications amid already existing FFP nightmares.