Man Utd eliminated from FA Cup

In the two decisive penalty shootouts, defender Victor Lindelof and striker Joshua Zirkzee were both saved by goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Meanwhile, the visitors Fulham scored in all four legs, reaching the quarter-finals. After Leno saved Zirkzee's shot, the entire away team ran to celebrate with the German goalkeeper. They lay on top of each other on the Old Trafford pitch, in front of thousands of dancing fans.

Man Utd must blame themselves for wasting 5 big chances in the match, according to statisticsFootball. These chances all came in the second half and extra time, from substitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi. Garnacho missed two chances, while 17-year-old striker Obi also wasted three good chances.

With 10 injured players in the "Red Devils" squad, Obi was promoted from the youth team. Lindelof also played his first match after nearly three months of injury. Coach Ruben Amorim even registered only 7 reserve players, two less than the limit. Of these, he named two goalkeepers.

Although the hosts still had one substitution to make in extra time, Zirkzee had to limp through with only two reserve goalkeepers on the field, which may have been the reason Zirkzee missed the penalty. But even if he had scored in the fifth round, Fulham would have gone through as they had the final kick.

This is the second time Fulham have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in the last three seasons. And they have a great chance of reaching the semi-finals, having only to face Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals. Of the eight teams remaining in the tournament, only Man City are in the "Big 6". Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Man Utd have all been eliminated. Not to mention Man City will have to face hosts Bournemouth in the quarter-finals.

Fulham also beat Man Utd in the FA Cup for the first time in 117 years. Their hero was goalkeeper Leno. In addition to two penalty saves, the former Arsenal goalkeeper also made 8 saves in the match. He was only defeated once by Bruno Fernandes' low cross-angle shot in the second half, when Man Utd equalized 1-1. Before that, the visitors opened the scoring with a close-range header from centre-back Calvin Bassey.

Coach Amorim was clearly not happy with this result, as Man Utd faced the risk of being empty-handed. The only arena left where they have a chance to win is the Europa League. In the next match, the "Red Devils" will be away at Real Sociedad on the evening of March 6.