English FA Cup: Man United Survive Huge Scare
- As stubborn Coventry City go down 4-2 on penalties after extra time ended 3-3
- It’s another Manchester derby on May 25
- Onana saves Ten-Hag’s job for now
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Manchester United on Sunday survived a huge scare to win 4-2 on penalties and set up another Manchester Derby in the 23/24 English FA Cup final.
It was a night of brilliant display by Championship side, Coventry City who came back from three goals down to level scores and force the game to extra time at London’s Wembley Stadium.
And thanks to Andre Onana’s penalty heroics, Erik ten Hag’s job may be safe for now given that the Red Devils avoided epic humiliation in the hands of their unsung opponents.
The Cameroonian-born goalkeeper spared United’s blushes after they threw away a three-goal advantage against Mark Robins’ fearless side.
Indeed, many pundits believe Ten Hag would have found himself in the job market if, by his team’s horror show, Coventry had stopped them from reaching their consecutive FA Cup final on May 25, 2024.
Even among ardent United fans, the consensus is that their embattled team went to heaven, then hell, and then back again. So, it was the biggest sigh of relief at the end of it all as the Old Trafford Landlords were finally lucky to see off the brave Coventry side on penalties.
Casemiro started the shootout for United with a miss, but Dalot, Eriksen, and Fernandes all scored before Hojlund sealed it with another strike.
Wright and Torp scored for Coventry City, but Onana saved O’Hare’s shot and Sheaf missed.
The Championship side won their single FA Cup title in 1987, while United are 12-time champions.
Defending champions, Manchester City had on Saturday, edged out Chelsea 1-0 in their first semi-final clash
But despite their hard-fought victory, United’s Skipper, Bruno Fernandes said the team needs to do better, adding there is room for improvement for the Reds.
Speaking to ITV Sport, Fernandes said; “We put ourselves in a difficult position because we had the game controlled and could have killed it but unfortunately we didn’t. Credit to Coventry for what they have done but we need to do better”.
Asked if winning the FA Cup will make this a successful season for United, Fernandes said; “We’ll never be successful if we win [only] the FA Cup.
“The standard of this club is much higher than what we have been doing. We have to do better in the league; the League Cup; and in Europe”.
