Manchester United’s dismal season reached a new low as the FA Cup holders crashed out after a 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat against Fulham in the fifth round on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim’s side found themselves trailing to Calvin Bassey’s first-half opener at Old Trafford before Bruno Fernandes equalised in the second half, forcing a 1-1 draw after extra time. But in the penalty shoot-out, Fulham keeper Bernd Leno emerged as the hero, saving from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, while Fulham converted all four of their kicks.
Booed off at half-time, this was yet another crushing result for United, who find themselves languishing in 14th place in the Premier League. The 13-time FA Cup winners had reached the final in the last two seasons and even triumphed over Manchester City to lift the trophy last year. However, they will not be making a trip to Wembley this season, with only the Europa League left as a possible route to silverware.
Off the pitch, it’s been another challenging week at Old Trafford, with 200 job cuts announced and the team struggling to draw with Everton and barely edge past lowly Ipswich. Amorim admitted that life is “hard” for United at the moment, with this latest setback proving another hammer blow to the under-fire Portuguese coach, who took over in November after Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
United’s performance on the day mirrored their troubled season. Rasmus Hojlund had an early chance, firing over from an acute angle after Christian Eriksen’s cross found the struggling striker, whose goalless drought now stretches to 18 games. Eriksen’s curler was fisted away by Leno, but it did little to appease a frustrated fanbase.
During the first half, fans made their displeasure known with chants directed at the club’s owners, the Glazer family, and Jim Ratcliffe, as well as banners protesting ticket price hikes. Fulham’s first threat came when Sasa Lukic headed over from Alex Iwobi’s cross, but it was a warning United failed to heed. With seconds left before the break, Fulham took the lead from their first shot on target, as Andreas Pereira’s corner was flicked on by Rodrigo Muniz, and Bassey reacted quicker than Noussair Mazraoui to head home from six yards.
Amorim made the decision to leave Alejandro Garnacho on the bench for the first 53 minutes, following the Argentine’s petulant response to being substituted against Ipswich. Garnacho had stormed off down the tunnel, an incident that Amorim later said was resolved after the winger agreed to buy dinner for his teammates. With United trailing, Amorim had no choice but to bring on Garnacho, whose introduction sparked a roar from the stands but failed to improve the team’s performance.
United keeper Andre Onana was called into action, diving to his right to deny Emile Smith Rowe from increasing Fulham’s lead. Once again, Fernandes tried to rally his side, and in the 71st minute, he hauled United level, meeting Diogo Dalot’s cross with a superb low finish into the far corner from 12 yards. Despite this, there was no late comeback this time.
Onana made another crucial save in stoppage-time, denying Smith Rowe once more, and the match went into extra time, where chances were few and far between. Chido Obi nearly squeezed a shot past Leno, while Ryan Sessegnon came close with a powerful effort that Onana pushed away. However, in the end, United’s fate was sealed in a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out, as Fulham triumphed and secured their place in the next round.
For United, the loss represents yet another blow in what has been a season full of struggles, and Amorim’s tenure remains under intense scrutiny as the team continues to face both on- and off-pitch challenges. With the Europa League now their only remaining chance at silverware, the pressure is mounting as they head into their next matches.
