Aleksandar Mitrovic, Willian and manager Marco Silva were all sent off in the space of 60 seconds as Fulham hit the self-destruct button during their dramatic 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.
With Fulham leading 1-0 in the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Old Trafford beyond the hour mark, Willian blocked Jadon Sancho’s goal-bound effort on the line. It was clear upon a replay that the Brazilian had used his arm, resulting in a VAR check.
Silva quickly lost his temper as referee Chris Kavanagh weighed up changing his original decision, and the Fulham boss was shown a red card. Then, as Kavanagh returned to the pitch to award United with a penalty, Willian was duly sent off.
But what made it a truly mad minute was how Mitrovic, the man who’d put Fulham ahead early in the second half, continued his angry protests and barged into the referee. A stone-faced Kavanagh dished out a third red card, and soon enough United scored their penalty through Bruno Fernandes and took the lead thanks to Marcel Sabitzer.
Instead of immediately going back to Fulham’s dressing room, Silva was seen pacing up and down the Old Trafford tunnel area after his dismissal. There were just 265 seconds between Willian’s red card and the home side going 2-1 up.
Legendary ex-United captain Roy Keane – no stranger to a head-loss during his time as a player – said on ITV: “A mad 90 seconds and it’s cost them the game. I’ve no sympathy for Fulham. They won’t get any plaudits from me. They had an opportunity and they blew it.”
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Fellow pundit Karen Carney added: “You can’t touch the referee. It’s complete disrespect. It’s shocking.”
Ian Wright went on to say: “If I’m a Fulham fan, I’d be very disappointed with that simply because I think they had that game in the bag.
“Manchester United hadn’t done too much up to that point. They needed to be a little more disciplined about what they’re doing, the manager especially. You needed the manager to calm down Mitrovic at that moment. I feel sorry for Fulham fans who travelled up.”
Former Red Devils striker Febian Brandy told BBC Sport: “What a mad chain of events. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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Erik ten Hag’s side deserved to be behind before the chaos ensued, with Mitrovic putting Fulham ahead after being the better team in the first half. United looked lethargic and risked falling at the final hurdle before the Wembley semi-finals, as the visitors took advantage on 50 minutes.
Then the talismanic but temperamental Mitrovic turned from hero to villain, furious with Kavanagh’s decision, despite the handball being clear. Rashford’s clinical spot-kick drew the Red Devils level and a smart finish from Sabitzer completed the rapid turnaround with a deft finish, courtesy of Luke Shaw’s low-driven cross.
In stoppage time, Fernandes netted again to make it 3-1 and sent United to Wembley for the second time this season after winning the Carabao Cup. They’ll face an in-form Brighton team for a semi-final clash which is set to be played on Sunday, April 23.
Ten Hag won’t have been completely pleased with his side’s display, but they march on in search of another trophy. For Silva and Fulham, however, their FA Cup dream ended in disgrace.
It’s now a record 31 FA Cup semi-finals for United. In the other fixture, Manchester City face second-tier Sheffield United.
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