Man Utd narrowly escapes defeat against lower-ranked team in FA Cup semi-final

Man Utd could have had a much easier game, leading 3-0 until the 70th minute. But just like their poor performance since the start of the season, Erik ten Hag's team lost control of the game, tied the score at 3-3 and had to play extra time. Coventry almost defeated the "Red Devils" when scoring in the last minute of extra time, but VAR intervened and denied the goal because it was offside by just a few millimeters.

A near miss often leads to a penalty shootout, with Casemiro's shot being pushed out by Bradley Collins. However, Andre Onana made amends for his teammate's mistake by pausing Callum O'Hare's shot to level the scores in the shootout. Coventry eventually fell to the wayside, with captain Ben Sheaf's shot skimming the top of the crossbar, before Rasmus Hojlund scored the decisive penalty to send United into their 22nd FA Cup final.

After scoring, Hojlund ran to the Man Utd audience area to celebrate, but no player came to share his joy, according toITV. His teammates were not too happy with this victory. Antony even raised both hands to his ears, pointing at the Coventry player, in a provocative manner, while Harry Maguire went to shake his opponent's hand to encourage him. "I don't like this Man Utd team," said former captain Roy Keane.

British NewspaperGuardianbelieves that Coventry did not deserve such an outcome, because they fought and came back against a much higher rated opponent. Man Utd had a defensive crisis in this match, with up to five injured central defenders, only Maguire was healthy. Therefore, midfielder Casemiro was pulled down to play as a central defender with Maguire. However, the "Red Devils" squad is still dozens of times more expensive than their opponents.

In the stands, Man Utd welcomed a series of high-ranking figures to watch, such as co-owner Avram, Joel Glazer, board member Dave Brailsford, former CEO David Gill, and new technical director Jason Wilcox.

The team’s largest individual shareholder, Jim Ratcliffe, only arrived at the start of the second half, and with good reason. He had just run the 42km London Marathon, clocking a career-best time of 4:30 at the age of 72. The team’s leaders were not disappointed with the team’s performance on the pitch.

The difference in division made it easier for Man Utd to play than usual. They opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, when right-back Diogo Dalot overlapped and crossed for Scott McTominay to tap into the empty net from close range. Before the end of the first half, midfielder Bruno Fernandes took a corner kick from the right for Maguire to jump highest and head the ball close to the post, making it 2-0. Fernandes himself then scored the third goal for the "Red Devils" in the second half, with a shot from a tight angle on the left side of the penalty area.

However, Man Utd did not win the match so easily. The three-goal advantage forced coach Ten Hag to take Alejandro Garnacho off the field, and bring in Antony instead. Without a player as dynamic as Garnacho, while Marcus Rashford and Antony were lackluster, Man Utd were overwhelmed for the rest of the second half.

Coventry pulled one back in the 71st minute, when Fabio Tavares crossed for Ellis Simms to volley into the near post unmarked. Ten Hag brought on Kobbie Mainoo again, and the Red Devils conceded a second goal from Antony's loss of possession. In the second half's injury time, Aaron Wan-Bissaka handled the ball in the penalty area, allowing Haji Wright to take a penalty into the right corner, fooling goalkeeper Onana, and levelling the score at 3-3 for Coventry.

In extra time, both teams hit the crossbar, with shots from Fernandes and Simms. In the penalty shootout, Onana put psychological pressure on his opponents, earning himself a second yellow card. He received his first yellow card in the 85th minute for time-wasting, but the card did not count in the penalty shootout, so the Cameroonian goalkeeper was not sent off, as was the case with Emiliano Martinez three days earlier.

After Casemiro missed the penalty, Diogo Dalot, Christian Eriksen, Fernandes and Hojlund succeeded in taking it one after another. The Coventry captain burst into tears after missing the penalty and was helped off the field by his teammates. Tens of thousands of Coventry fans stayed after the match to applaud the players and coaching staff. Some people clapped, chanted slogans and let tears roll down their cheeks.

It took 150 years for the FA Cup to see its first Manchester derby final, last season. This season, Man Utd and Man City continue to reach the final, at Wembley Stadium on 25 May.