Manchester United came from behind to win the 2023-2024 FA Cup semifinal against Coventry City (League Two) on penalties after extra time at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on Sunday.
The victory secured United’s place in the long-awaited FA Cup final. However, after racing into a 3-0 lead through Scott McTominay in the 23rd minute, Harry Maguire in first-half stoppage time, and Bruno Fernandez in the 13th minute of the second half, the Red Devils conceded three goals in the 26th minute, 34th minute, and second-half stoppage time against a second-tier side, leaving fans with a sigh of relief.
What happened after the victory was even more bizarre. United won in dramatic fashion in penalty kicks. Rasmus Hojelin’s penalty in the final minute sent United fans into a frenzy as they celebrated their second consecutive FA Cup final.
But what was to follow was not what they expected. After converting the game-winner, Hojelin celebrated in front of the crowd, but none of his teammates joined in – only Christian Eriksen approached him afterward. Fernandes and Casemiro didn’t watch the final moments, while Ahmad Diallo stood on the sidelines.
The defender Maguire was different.
Maguire went straight to the Coventry players, shook their hands, patted them on the shoulder and offered them comfort. It was a gesture of respect for the second division team, who had come from 0-3 down to reach the quarterfinals and take the game to penalties.
The player the fans watched in disbelief was Anthony. 안전놀이터 추천 After Hoylun’s goal, Anthony ran in front of the Coventry players, clasped his hands over his ears, and backpedaled in a provocative gesture. ‘I can’t hear anything,’ he taunted his opponents.
The fans watched and let out a collective sigh. Even though the team won, most of the players don’t show much joy in reaching the final. What’s more, the team seemed to have broken down, with each player acting individually.
Despite the victory, United”s performance was poor to say the least.
They conceded three goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half after leading 3-0. They even had a Coventry goal in extra time that would have literally cost them the game had it not been disallowed by video assistant referee (VAR).
Including this game, United have not won a single game in their last five in all competitions. In fact, not only are they out of fourth place in the league, but their only remaining FA Cup tie is against Manchester City. In fact, the chances of winning with this performance are slim.
“For me, the club always comes first,” said Harry Maguire, who struggled at center back. “I didn’t train properly this week,” he said, “and I’m not happy with the team’s performance. I don’t feel good to be honest. It doesn’t feel real at the moment,” he sighed.
Maguire added: “Maybe the next day you wake up and it’s an FA Cup final and it feels real, but it’s not at all now. “It was a very disappointing and strange game to be honest,” he said, “I thought we were dominating the game and then we came back from 3-0 down, but we’ve still got to put it right somehow.