As a Man Utd fan, I really do not know what to say, where to begin or just anything really.
Relief is probably what I and many feel after that but it also feels wrong, if that makes sense, due to how how we won.
Going through is what we all expected by just the how is the problem.
I will be honest and say that I was a bit surprised at Coventry not truly going for it from the start. I didn’t expect them to play tiki-taka, prime Barcelona ball but I thought that they’d come at us a lot harder.
With us being very low on confidence and not performing well, perhaps the opponents should’ve come at us with a lot more.
That first hour was actually not too bad from United, although yes, it was only Coventry (with all due respect). MUFC controlled the tempo and dictated the game pretty well.
That opening goal was also well worked. A beautiful cross from Diogo Dalot gave Scott McTominay a pretty easy finish. Simple, quick football and we’re in.
The second was more simple as it was from a corner. Harry Maguire scored the easiest of headers and gave us comfort just before the break.
The second half went in familiar fashion to the first and captain Bruno Fernandes put a third into the net relatively early on in the second period. A bit of a lucky goal as it required a deflection to go in.
But it was 3–0, Bruno’s 5th goal in four games meant we were through.
Well, at least that’s what I think we all thought, including the players.
Erik ten Hag made some changes by taking youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo off. Some (including myself) would question why a certain number 10 didn’t come off before them.
While I didn’t agree with who came off, I could understand it as we were 3–0 up with 30 minutes left.
What happened thereafter isn’t really on those who were substituted. He brought on experienced internationals in Antony and Christian Eriksen for teenagers.
Them and the rest should’ve been more than able to hold off Coventry for half an hour.
Again, I must state that at this point, we were 3–0 up.
Ellis Simms made it 1–3 on 71 minutes and despite it being annoying to concede such a silly goal, it was the final score line that I predicted for this match so I wasn’t too fussed about it. The players shouldn’t have been either.
As is our terrible habit this season though, we concede, switch off, and concede another straightaway.
Minute 79 saw a deflected strike by Callum O’Hare loop over Andre Onana and nestle into the bottom corner making it 2–3 and giving us all nightmares that this team would go on and cock up.
All our fears came true because there is no steel in this side.
A handball was given against AWB allowing Coventry to level things up right at the death from the penalty spot.
So they did and made an Undertaker-style comeback as they rose from the dead. 3–0 down after 70 minutes but take the game into extra time. Absolutely incredible.
It was a penalty for me but the frustration is how that was a spot kick yet the Jack Grealish one from the first semi final wasn’t despite them being very similar. Another example of the inconsistency in officiating.
However, we had blown a 3-goal lead just like that.
If there was a table for a masterclass in fucking up, we would be far away and over the hills at the top of that table.
How did we throw that away? It really showed you the mental weakness of these players and lack of in-game management. Absolutely diabolical.
Into extra time we went and considering how the end of the match proper was going, United definitely needed it.
As with most extra time’s though, the game lacked that same quality of the original 90 minutes.
It wasn’t quite end-to-end, at least in the first period, but did show how players truly began to fade knowing that there was an extra 30 minutes to play.
Bruno Fernandes had a great shot rattle off the crossbar to let Coventry City off before they had one rattle the bar as well to let United off.
There were gaps appearing everywhere by the end none more so than in the 28th minute of extra time.
With United all over the place defensively (what’s new?) the ball found it’s way to Coventry forward Haji Wright who had acres of space ahead of him, one might have thought he was offside.
The game went on, he puts in a cross and Coventry put the ball in the back of the net.
I don’t know if you’ve ever felt numb in your life. I did in that moment. I felt nothing. I was just a body.
And then…
…VAR
I’m very conflicted on the use of technology in football mainly on the officials behind the screens rather than the technology itself and more often than not, I’m complaining about them giving the wrong decision through the use of VAR.
Not on this occasion though. On this occasion, I was signing HALLELUJAH as that truly saved my arse.
It saved all our arses: mine, Wan-Bissaka’s who for some reason, didn’t step up with his defensive line and almost played the player onside, and of course, ten Hag’s arse, at least for now.
That was one of the closest offsides you will ever see but Wright was a bit wrong in this case as he was just off.
Phew 🥵.
Much like being happy at seeing extra time, I was happy to go to penalties.
Incredible what this stupid team can do to us.
To penalties we go with them being taken at the end with all the MUFC fans, which is always nice in such a pressure situation.
But speaking of pressure, perhaps it was felt by our most experienced of them all: Casemiro.
I think he was watching too much Bernardo Silva when looking at his spot kick. Truly terrible from the Brazil captain and for a man of his quality and experience, we should be expecting better. That man’s won 5 Champions League’s for crying out loud!
A pathetic way to begin a shootout and what amounts of pressure were on United, just increased. Tenfold.
Coventry then took two unsaveable penalties regardless of whether the ‘keeper went the right side or not (Onana didn’t) and thankfully, United managed to score their next two as well.
But then, disaster,
for Coventry.
The team from the Championship saw their next two spot kicks being missed, one saved by Onana and the other being hit over the bar.
United were given a lifeline and were now in the driving seat.
With the final looming (again), up steps Rasmus Hojlund for perhaps his most important kick in a United shirt so far.
Despite his lack of service, despite not having any chances at goal, his penalty was superb.
He rifled a shot into the bottom right-hand corner, no chance of the goalkeeper saving it and put us through as 4–2 winners on penalties.
This also shows the steel and strong mentality of the 21-year-old to step up in such a pressure situation and score, and that he can finish like a true striker given the opportunities.
But there you have it.
Man Utd did get through and in the end, that’s all that matters, for this moment at least.
Weekend and Sunday not completely destroyed. Only a little destroyed 😅.
Erik ten Hag is also a man who’s as close to being sacked without actually being sacked. He will most likely survive another game at the least but we are slowly dropping our time periods of when he will be gone.
At one point, it was him surviving the next month, then went down to week. Now, it’s down to game.
It maybe a good thing that we have a match so quickly after this one (Wednesday night) but as it is a winnable game with it being Sheffield Utd at home, that will just increase the pressure even more as lose that, and he will be gone, probably.
To be fair to him, I’m not sure what he did wrong. He played as strong a side as possible given the injuries and his substitutions weren’t terrible. The only issue is starting Rashford and not subbing him. Other than that, ten Hag was good.
Yet I still feel very confused about him during this game. It’s pretty odd.
One could point out his lack of in-game management, but those players are experienced enough to see out such a game.
What I will say though, is that if he keeps persisting with Rashford, that will lead to his downfall.
Ratings:
Onana — 6
Dalot — 7
Casemiro — 5 (-10 for the penalty)
Maguire — 8 MOTM
AWB — 5
Mainoo — 6.5
McTominay — 5
Garnacho — 6.5
Bruno — 7
Rashford — 2
Hojlund — 6
Antony — 5
Eriksen — 5
Amad — 6.5
Forson — 6
Erik ten Hag — 5
Final Thoughts
We’re in the final. Yay.
I also want to commend Coventry City for their fight and never give in attitude. That was something we had at United but has clearly been lost over the past decade. They reminded us what that was like and perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise when ex-red Mark Robins is their manager.
Fair play to him and them for their brilliant effort in this semifinal. They can hold their heads up high 👏👏.
Background image: Image credit: Getty Images via Eurosport