5 talking points as Manchester United beat Brighton to book FA Cup final place

Manchester United defeated Brighton on penalties to progress to the FA Cup final.

The opening half started slowly, with both Manchester United and Brighton having decent chances to open the scoring, however, neither side had any “you should be burying that” chances either.

The fixture started to heat up just as the opening half came to a close, with Bruno Fernandes having a shot flash just wide and Christian Eriksen having a further one saved just moments before the whistle blew.

The second half certainly saw much more of a semi-final fixture, with both sides having periods of clear domination – but still, no goals once Craig Pawson blew the full-time.

The thirty minutes of extra time were a proper knock-out tie, but to no avail, as neither side could score from open play. United eventually saw themselves through after they won the penalty shootout 7-6.

#1 – The first half saw two teams respect each other too much

Considering Brighton’s current form and United’s lack of confidence, it’s not surprising that they started cautiously – but from Brighton’s perspective, it should have been something that they capitalised on.

Brighton started the game with a free-kick chance by Alexis Mac Allister that was tipped wide by David de Gea, however neither side really had a good chance in the opening quarter of the fixture.

Bruno Fernandes also saw a bending shot saved rather comfortably by Robert Sanchez in the opposing net, but it took a while for the fixture to get going.

One thing was clear though, is that Manchester United are so much better with Fernandes in the team – the differences in the structure and cohesiveness of the side when he does and does not play are clear.

#2 – The game only started in the 40th minute

With the game starting so slowly and a period where there were non-stop fouls and falling over, it suddenly decided to wake up just as the first half came to a close.

It’s as if the scriptwriters suddenly realised that it was an FA Cup semi-final, and not a 7:45 pm kick-off during a rainy Tuesday night in mid-December.

Marcus Rashford, Fernandes, and Christian Eriksen all had good chances on goal, with Brighton starting to falter with their play out from the back – the half-time whistle was probably a blessing for them as the chances started to leak.

That is not to say that they did not have their fair share of attacks in the final minutes, though. On multiple occasions they were able to slice through United’s centre, however, they were yet to capitalise as the first half came to a close.

#3 – United were able to withstand early second-half pressure

Unlike against Sevilla, United were able to survive the early second-half pressure that Brighton put on them.

David de Gea pulled off some well-known theatrics to keep Brighton at bay, and after 65 minutes, they turned the tide and applied pressure on the Seagulls.

United’s travelling fans were in full voice as the game entered its final quarter of the 90 minutes, with the players finally deciding to turn up to the FA Cup semi-final.

#4 – Both managers got their game plans spot on

Overall, regardless of the result, the fixture was so even – both Erik ten Hag and Roberto De Zerbi perfected their plans.

Also, therefore this meant that the players executed their plans well. This was especially clear with United’s rather make-shift back line, with Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw playing in unorthodox positions but looking right at home.

Two players who deserve commendations for their performance were Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof. After news broke on Friday that they are both part of a list of seven players that are for sale, they once again gave Ten Hag evidence that this should be reconsidered.

#5 – The penalty woes are over

Finally, after long last, Manchester United WON a penalty shootout.

Slotting in all seven of their efforts, it was a Solly March rocket into row Z that saw Victor Lindelof handed the winning penalty, where he slotted it, cooly, past Robert Sanchez to send United into the final.

Next up in the FA Cup: Manchester City.