Manchester United’s troubled season suffered another major setback as they crashed out of the FA Cup in a dramatic 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat against Fulham in the fifth round at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The holders fell behind to a first-half goal from Calvin Bassey before Bruno Fernandes equalised to force extra time.
However, Bernd Leno emerged as Fulham’s hero in the shoot-out, denying Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee as the visitors converted all four of their spot-kicks to book their place in the quarter-finals.
United, who had won the FA Cup last season by beating Manchester City in the final, will not be making another trip to Wembley this year. Their only remaining chance at silverware lies in the Europa League.
“It’s hard. We had the best chances, but penalties can go both ways, and today it was not our day,” United boss Ruben Amorim said after the defeat.
The loss capped off a miserable week for United, who announced 200 job cuts and laboured to a 2-2 draw with Everton before narrowly beating struggling Ipswich.
The mood at Old Trafford was bleak, with fans directing abusive chants at the owners, the Glazer family and minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, while banners protesting against ticket price increases were unfurled.
United’s problems were evident early on, with Rasmus Hojlund missing a golden chance before Christian Eriksen forced a save from Leno.
Fulham capitalised on their first shot on target just before half-time, as Andreas Pereira’s corner was flicked on by Rodrigo Muniz, allowing Bassey to nod home from six yards.
Amorim had controversially left Alejandro Garnacho on the bench following his petulant response to being substituted against Ipswich, but the Argentine was introduced in the 53rd minute. Though his arrival was greeted with a roar, it failed to inspire a significant improvement from United.
As has often been the case this season, it was captain Bruno Fernandes who dragged United back into the contest, slotting home a precise low strike in the 71st minute after a Diogo Dalot cross.
United had previously staged late comebacks to salvage results against Ipswich and Everton, but there would be no repeat this time.
Onana denied Emile Smith Rowe in stoppage time, leading to a scrappy extra-time period where both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Chido Obi nearly stole the win for United late on, while Ryan Sessegnon tested Onana with a powerful strike.
However, the tie was ultimately settled from the spot, where Leno’s heroics condemned United to another crushing setback in an already miserable campaign.
