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Manchester United beat Brighton on penalties at Wembley on Sunday to arrange an FA Cup ultimate in opposition to treble-chasing Manchester Metropolis after the match completed goalless.
Victor Lindelof scored the decisive spot-kick as Erik ten Hag’s group gained 7-6, following a miss by Solly March, staying on the right track for a home cup double.
The semi-final in entrance of a crowd of greater than 81,000 completed 0-0 after further time, with neither aspect displaying the leading edge required to interrupt the impasse.
The outcome means United may have the prospect to derail Metropolis’s bid to match their distinctive achievement of profitable the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup within the first-ever assembly between the rivals in an FA Cup ultimate.
However the Pink Devils, who gained the League Cup earlier this season to finish a six-year trophy drought, must discover higher type if they’re to compete with Pep Guardiola’s red-hot group.
“On Thursday I noticed a group I didn’t recognise however as we speak we went again to common,” Ten Hag informed the BBC, referring to their Europa League horror present in opposition to Sevilla.
“I may see willpower and resilience. We fought for each yard and competed in each battle. We had good probabilities.”
Luke Shaw got here in at centre-back for the suspended Harry Maguire, with Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes changing Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer following Thursday’s 3-0 defeat in Spain, which meant a 5-2 defeat on combination within the Europa League quarter-finals.
Brighton, who misplaced the FA Cup ultimate replay to United 40 years in the past, had gained the previous two league fixtures between the perimeters and got here to Wembley on a excessive after beating Chelsea final week.
The south-coast membership settled first and had an early sight of aim when Kaoru Mitoma was introduced down clumsily on the sting of the field by Antony within the sixth minute.
Argentine World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister hit a effective curling effort that David De Gea did properly to maintain out earlier than Julio Enciso flashed a shot huge.
– Brighton management –
Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton have been dominating possession, with United apparently content material to sit down again and attempt to exploit the tempo of Rashford and Antony.
Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez beat out a Fernandes effort in United’s first significant try on aim.
The massed ranks of Brighton followers have been eager to play on the nerves of De Gea at any time when the ball landed at his toes following a nightmare recreation for the Spaniard in Seville.
United, for lengthy intervals scrappy, produced a flurry of probabilities shortly earlier than half-time, with Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Christian Eriksen failing to transform.
Brighton have been shortly out of the blocks at the beginning of the second half. Enciso pressured De Gea into a sensible save earlier than former United ahead Danny Welbeck headed over from the ensuing nook.
However neither aspect may break the impasse and referee Craig Pawson blew for extra-time.
The sport grew to become stretched, with half-chances at each ends however there was nonetheless no breakthrough for both aspect regardless of a number of modifications.
United top-scorer Rashford, who struggled to hit high gear, flashed huge with 10 minutes to go earlier than De Gea cleared following a goalmouth scramble on the different finish.
A high-quality shootout came about in entrance of the massed ranks of the Brighton followers.
United substitute Sabitzer stepped as much as take his spot-kick with United 5-4 down and his coronary heart would have missed a beat as Sanchez bought his hand to it however he couldn’t hold it out.
Brighton’s Adam Webster and United’s Wout Weghorst each scored earlier than March’s painful miss with the thirteenth kick gave defender Lindelof an opportunity he didn’t squander.
Ten Hag praised “cool” Lindelof and Shaw — first-choice central defenders Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are out injured — and mentioned he was impressed by the efficiency of De Gea.
“He made some sensible saves,” he mentioned. “It damage when he made errors on Thursday.
“Typically if you make errors as a keeper you get punished. We let him down, we didn’t struggle again for him. We bounced again as we speak although.”
AFP
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