sport news 3-1 Fulham: Red Devils come from behind as three red cards ... trends now

sport news 3-1 Fulham: Red Devils come from behind as three red cards ... trends now
sport news Manchester United 3-1 Fulham: Red Devils come from behind as three red cards ... trends now

sport news Manchester United 3-1 Fulham: Red Devils come from behind as three red cards ... trends now

The really unfortunate thing for Fulham was that the piece of football that initially sparked one of the most unfathomable five minutes of the season looked at first sight to have been rather heroic.

Having made a bad judgement call when trying to intercept the ball on the half way line, Fulham’s Brazilian Willian set off with not particularly characteristic zeal back towards his own goal to try and retrieve the situation.

Willian got there, too. With his team leading by a goal and on top of a Manchester United team looking tired, flat and largely impotent , his block on the goal line from Jadon Sancho felt and looked inspired. He had run more than half the length of the field at full tilt.

The problem was that the ball had come off his arm as it deflected wide of the post. It wasn’t necessarily his fault but it was clear on the TV replays. So as referee Chris Kavanagh looked at the VAR monitor on the touchline, we all thought we knew what was coming. A red card and a penalty for United.

That, it turned out, was only the half of it. What to say about what happened next other than it represented one of the most remarkable passages of communal self-harm we have seen on a football field for some time.

As Kavanagh looked at his monitor, Fulham manager Marco Silva approached with something to say. Rather too much, it transpired. He was sent off. Then, as Kavanagh pointed to the penalty spot, he was approached and shoved on the upper arm by centre forward and Fulham goal scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic. He was also sent off.

Then, belatedly, it was Willian’s turn to walk for the original offence. So three had gone in the space of a minute. On the field Fulham had gone from eleven players to nine without a ball being kicked and Willian was the only one to go quietly.

Silva had something to say to United manager Erik ten Hag before he walked his walk. Mitrovic looked ready to take on the world and not in a good way.

When it all settled down, and it did eventually, Bruno Fernandes rolled in the penalty that cancelled out Mitrovic’s 50th minute volley. Ninety seconds later Luke Shaw crossed low for Marcel Sabitzer to put United ahead. Fernandes made it three with the last kick of the game and United were in the semi-final at the end of an afternoon that had seen them dominated for more than an hour.

Fulham will feel hard done by but shouldn’t do. This was their own fault. Silva is their manager and Mitrovic their most high profile player. Fulham may just have survived an equaliser and the loss of one player. Ten men have been known to win a game of football. Nine? Not so often. So when Fulham seek out culprits for this turnaround, they should really not look very far.

Abuse of officials is rife in football and this was one occasion when a referee decided he would not stand for it.

Fulham had come to play and compete and that had been heartening. Mitrovic had been superb up until he lost his head. Moments before, his header from a free-kick had been clawed away by United goalkeeper David de Gea. At 2-0, Fulham would have been pretty much in the last four. As it, United’s season of progress goes on.

Silva’s team selection spoke of intent and so did his team’s early football. United, meanwhile, have been here before recently. Ten Hag’s team have recovered admirably from the 7-0 defeat at Liverpool but are starting to look leggy as they continue to make progress in the Europa League. Thursday night football does take its toll in the end.

The United manager was forced in to a couple of changes here with Casemiro suspended and Rafael Varane injured. The replacements were decent, mind, with Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire filling in.

For the first 20

read more from dailymail.....

PREV sport news Xabi Alonso 'set to announce his decision to STAY at Bayern Leverkusen ... trends now
NEXT Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano in action: Fight card, odds, date, opponents, start time, complete guide