Man Utd fightback ends Liverpool's quadruple quest in FA Cup classic
18th March 2024
United will now face Championship side Coventry in the semifinals at Wembley.
- Amad Diallo scored the wiining goal in extra time to secure United's victory.
- Erik ten Hag's men will be confident of reaching the final for a second consecutive season after being paired with Championship side Coventry in the last four.
- Man City face Chelsea in the other semifinal.
Manchester United ended Liverpool's quest for a quadruple of
trophies in Jurgen Klopp's final season after Amad Diallo's winner edged a
thrilling FA Cup quarter-final 4-3 after extra-time.
The Ivorian winger was sent off for a second booking after
taking his shirt off in celebration at the end of a chaotic 120 minutes that
kept United's chances of ending the season with silverware alive.
Erik ten Hag's men will be confident of reaching the final
for a second consecutive season after being paired with Championship side
Coventry in the last four.
Two goals in three minutes from Alexis Mac Allister and
Mohamed Salah towards the end of the first half had swung the game in
Liverpool's favour after Scott McTominay opened the scoring.
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Antony's first goal at Old Trafford for more than a year
kept United alive to send the game into extra-time.
Liverpool edged in front once again when Harvey Elliott's
deflected shot found the bottom corner.
But Marcus Rashford, who had missed a glorious chance to win
the tie deep into injury time, made amends by drilling home to make it 3-3.
Diallo then scored just his second-ever United goal in added
time of extra-time at the end of a breakneck counter-attack from a Liverpool
corner, led by the impressive Alejandro Garnacho.
"When it's Manchester United against Liverpool, it's
one of the world's best football matches. It is historical," said Ten Hag.
"The team showed resilience and determination to win
this game. We've had so many setbacks. We are very strong mentally. We energized
the fans, they got behind us and we won."
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United trail Liverpool by 17 points in the Premier League
and having made an early exit from both the Champions League and League Cup,
the pressure was on Ten Hag if he is to remain in charge for a third season.
The home team started like a side who knew their season
depended on victory as they flew out of the traps and got their reward.
Garnacho's effort was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher but only
looped up for McTominay to blast home his ninth goal of the season.
Liverpool have had a far more intense schedule in recent
weeks than United as they remain in three competitions, having already lifted
the League Cup last month.
"That was the first time I saw my team really
struggling. That's how it is, we played a lot of football recently," said
Klopp.
"Congratulations to United, they fought extremely hard
as well."
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Klopp's men took half an hour to awake from their slumber,
but once they did were far more effective in the final third.
The visitors turned the tie around in the dying embers of
the first half as Mac Allister's deflected strike had too much power for Andre
Onana.
Three minutes later, Liverpool led as Salah struck once more
against his favoured opponents.
United pleaded in vain for a foul on Bruno Fernandes by Joe
Gomez and Salah was left with a simple task to knock in his 13th goal in 14
games against United after Onana parried Darwin Nunez's initial effort.
Liverpool enjoyed far more control of the game after the
break but they were also guilty of not taking their chances to kill the game
off.
United were blunt and lacking ideas going forward as they
chased the game until Antony became an unlikely hero.
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The Brazilian had scored just once in his previous 38 games
but showed no sign of a lack of confidence as he spun and fired into the far
corner three minutes from time.
Rashford should have completed the comeback as, after taking
a brilliant first touch to cushion the ball into his path, he slotted wide with
just Kelleher to beat.
A frenetic encounter continued to rage from end-to-end in
extra-time as Elliott's deflected effort looked set to again put Liverpool into
the last four.
But United did not lie down as Rashford was more deadly when
handed a second chance after Nunez gave the ball away deep inside his own half.
And as Liverpool sensed the chance to win it from a corner at the death, Garnacho broke clear and timed his pass to Diallo to perfection before he fired in off the far post.
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