As the reigning FA Cup champions, United had high hopes of keeping their trophy defense alive. They had edged past Leicester in the previous round, thanks to a controversial late winner from Harry Maguire, who was in an offside position—a goal that stood due to the absence of VAR in the fourth round. Ruben Amorim’s side also carried some momentum into this fixture after a narrow 3-2 Premier League win over Ipswich, in which Maguire once again delivered the decisive goal.
History had favored United in this stage of the FA Cup, with the club advancing from the fifth round in 14 consecutive appearances. But this time, history did not repeat itself.
United started on the front foot, pushing forward with intensity and enjoying the backing of the Old Trafford crowd. The home side created multiple chances but lacked the cutting edge to convert them.
Then, just before halftime, Fulham delivered a sucker punch. From a corner kick, Rodrigo Muniz rose highest to flick the ball toward Calvin Bassey, who reacted quickly to nod it past André Onana from close range. Fulham went into the break with a 1-0 lead, leaving United with it all to do in the second half.
Knowing they had to respond, United threw everything forward in search of an equalizer. However, Fulham’s defense held firm, frustrating the home side.
It took a moment of brilliance from Bruno Fernandes to finally break the visitors’ resistance. In the 71st minute, Diogo Dalot picked out the United captain, who unleashed a left-footed strike that skimmed across the turf and beat Leno at his near post.
United pushed for a winner, but Fulham remained dangerous on the counter. In the dying moments of regulation time, Emile Smith Rowe nearly won it for the visitors with a powerful strike from outside the box, but Onana produced a crucial save to force extra time.
Both sides played cautiously in extra time, wary of making a costly mistake. The best chance fell to Fulham’s Adama Traoré, who broke free in the 105th minute, but Onana once again came to United’s rescue.
With no goals in extra time, the match went to penalties, where Leno stole the show. The Fulham goalkeeper made two stunning saves—denying Victor Lindelöf and Joshua Zirkzee—to send the Cottagers through and officially dethrone United as FA Cup holders.
United’s FA Cup exit is yet another major blow in a disastrous season. Currently sitting 14th in the Premier League and miles off the top-four race, their only remaining hope for redemption lies in the Europa League. Amorim’s side now face a must-win clash against Real Sociedad next week, knowing that lifting the Europa League trophy is their only realistic path to securing European football next season. For now, though, the FA Cup dream is over—United’s reign has ended, and Fulham march on.
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.jpeg "Farewell to the \"King of Cups\"")
