sport news This was victory in name only for Man United as they stumble and fumble like ... trends now
When Rasmus Hojlund struck the winning penalty that eventually sent Manchester United stumbling and fumbling like drunks in the dark into an FA Cup final, half of his team-mates didn’t even feel as though it was appropriate to celebrate.
Instead, Harry Maguire and others turned to commiserate with the Coventry players struck down with disappointment in the centre circle. An act of generous sporting spirit, for sure, but also a clear signal of what this was. Victory in name only.
The glory and the honour here at Wembley goes to Coventry. Down and out at 0-3 after being outplayed and dominated by their Premier League opponents, Coventry’s comeback to take this semi-final into extra-time and on to penalties was perhaps the greatest and most remarkable Wembley has ever seen.
Goals from Ellis Simms, a deflected shot from Callum O’Hare and then a penalty scored by the magnificent Haji Wright in the 93rd minute reduced Erik ten Hag’s United team to an incompetent rabble. From that point on, Coventry could have won it and indeed in the very last minute of extra time, they thought they had.
Wright broke on final time down the left and crossed low for Victor Torp to poke the ball in. The greatest turnaround perhaps of all time was complete, or so we thought. Coventry fans cried tears of joy as United’s wretched troops lay flat out on the field.
Rasmus Hojlund scored the decisive penalty to send Man United into the final of the FA Cup
The Dane fired past Bradley Collins to set up a repeat of last year's final against Man City
Ben Sheaf skipper Ben Sheaf skied his penalty over the bar to hand Man United a chance to win the game
Andre Onana saved Callum O'Hare's spot kick to hand the advantage back to the Red Devils
VAR saved United, though. Wright had been offside by about an inch. That was how close Coventry came to a final with Manchester City back here next month. That was how close Ten Hag came to the ultimate indignity. Would United’s haplessly doomed manager have survived the week? It’s doubtful.
As it was, United survived and even managed to withstand a calamitous start to the shoot out as Casemiro popped a hopelessly misguided Panenka straight at Coventry goalkeeper Bradley Collins. Coventry then scored their first two to leave the supporters at the United end paralysed and mute.
But O’Hare and then captain Ben Sheaf failed for the Championship team – the first saved by Andre Onana and the second blazed over – as Diogo Dalot, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and then Hojlund scored to send United to the final.
The chances are they will suffer only pain when they get there. Manchester City will be waiting. For now, at least, calamity and the ultimate embarrassment has somehow been avoided. How it all came to this after Scott McTominay and Maguire scored in a first half they owned and Fernandes added a third on the hour, perhaps only they will know. There is something deeply wrong with Ten Hag’s United team and this three hours of almost unspeakable drama only served to underline that in bold.
Coventry, of course, had worked so hard to get here. Not just this season but in the years of struggle that came before it. Up through the pyramid, all the while teetering on the financial brink, sometimes playing home games at stadiums that were not their own.
For a while it looked as though manager Mark Robins and his players would leave here having not made even a footprint on the game. The first half was utterly one-sided. Indeed for long periods Robins wore a look of perpetual disappointment in the technical area. This looked destined to be an opportunity not taken, a battle never really fought and, therefore, an occasion that must have been so desperately hard enjoy.
But then it changed. Somehow and quite incredibly it changed. In about 20 minutes – from minute 71 to 93 - Coventry turned their afternoon from one of some kind of quite acceptance of inferiority in to one of the most incredible comebacks our game – never mind this stadium – has ever seen.
And is what was so stunning about it. There was absolutely no sign of it until it arrived. There was no steady build up of pressure, no gradual shift in momentum. It was just one shot – and one goal – from Simms.
Scott McTominay tapped in from close range to get the goalscoring underway at Wembley
Harry Maguire rose above the Coventry defence to head home the Premier League side's second
Bruno Fernandes gave United what looked to be an unassailable 3-0 lead just before the hour
Ellis Simms (right) pulled a goal back for the Championship side to spark dreams of a recovery
As Coventry were imbued with a little hope – and at 3-1 down that was all it was – United panicked and pretty much fell to pieces. In the directors’ box, United’s new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe sat having earlier finished the London Marathon. By the end of normal time, he looked increasingly as though he needed a little time on the massage table.
Back at the start of the game United had been on the front foot from the outset and were particularly dangerous down the left. They were for so long in cruise control. Marcus Rashford – later booed off by a section of his own supporters - seemed up for the occasion and could have scored in the 19th minute as he controlled
