Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United secured an FA Cup semi-final place with a 3-1 win over nine-man Fulham, who spectacularly fell apart at Old Trafford.
The Cottagers appeared well on course for a first last-four appearance since 2002 when Aleksandar Mitrovic put them in front five minutes after the break.
But their hopes collapsed as the tie descended into chaos when Chris Kavanagh’s decision to award the hosts a penalty 18 minutes from time resulted in Willian and Mitrovic being sent off.
United capitalised on their numerical advantage as they completed a turnaround with Fernandes netting twice and Marcel Sabitzer also on target.
Manchester United player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: David de Gea – 6/10 – Couple of sharp saves before Mitrovic converted. Looked a little shaky with the ball at his feet.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 6/10 – Known deficiencies were exposed here as Fulham pressed high up the pitch.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6/10 – Booked for dragging back Mitrovic.
CB: Lisandro Martinez – 6/10 – Beaten by Diop for the first goal.
LB: Luke Shaw – 6/10 – Was marking Mitrovic for the opening goal but lost the Serbian. Good ball across goal picked out Sabitzer for the winner.
CM: Scott McTominay – 4/10 – Couldn’t match Palhinha’s industry before being hooked on the hour.
CM: Marcel Sabitzer – 7/10 – Stung Leno’s fingertips with a strike from distance. Great ingenuity to score his first United goal for the win.
RW: Jadon Sancho – 7/10 – Smart runs got in behind Fulham’s defence. Helped get Willian sent off and rolled in Shaw before Sabitzer struck.
AM: Bruno Fernandes – 7/10 – Rolled in the equaliser from the penalty spot and grabbed a second late on with a powerful finish.
LW: Marcus Rashford – 5/10 – Couldn’t get his quick dribbling feet going and didn’t have too many shooting chances.
ST: Wout Weghorst – 5/10 – Spent a lot of time appealing for fouls and not enough time kicking footballs properly.
Substitutes
Antony (58′ for McTominay) – 7/10 – Direct running made an instant impact, getting in behind and squaring for Sancho before the penalty was awarded.
Fred (83′ for Rashford) – N/A
Manager
Erik ten Hag – 5/10 – United looked tired and without creativity for much of the contest. The result means it doesn’t matter too much, but Ten Hag’s side did suffer a fair amount on Sunday.
Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Bernd Leno – 6/10 – Made some important stops and looked firm before United turned the game around.
RB: Kenny Tete – 6/10 – Didn’t shy away from attacks and showed some good creativity at points.
CB: Issa Diop – 7/10 – Went close with an early header and got the flick to Mitrovic to help Fulham take the lead.
CB: Tim Ream – 6/10 – Showed some creative passing from the back.
LB: Antonee Robinson – 6/10 – Like Tete, not afraid to show some attacking intent out wide. Booked for bringing down Antony.
CM: Harrison Reed – 7/10 – Snapped into challenges alongside Palhinha.
CM: Joao Palhinha – 8/10 – Patrolled midfield well as Fulham frustrated United. Would have led them to a famous victory on another day.
RW: Bobby Decordova-Reid – 5/10 – Was dispossessed three times, a joint game high alongside Mitrovic.
AM: Andreas Pereira – 6/10 – Booked for bringing down Sancho on the counter. Good delivery from out wide led to Fulham’s opener.
LW: Willian – 3/10 – Solid work rate down the left. Linked attacks nicely and tested De Gea with an effort from distance. Ruined it all by batting away Sancho’s strike and getting sent off.
ST: Aleksandar Mitrovic – 3/10 – Evaded the attention of United’s defenders to put Fulham ahead. Lost his head by barging the referee, ruining an otherwise threatening performance.
Substitutes
Tom Cairney (89′ for Pereira) – N/A
Dan James (89′ for Reed) – N/A
Manor Solomon (89′ for Decordova-Reid) – N/A
Cedric Soares (89′ for Tete) – N/A
Manager
Marco Silva – N/A – When everyone around him were losing their heads, Silva also lost his. The game plan had been executed to perfection but his side’s meltdown was self-inflicted and totally avoidable.
