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In what should have been a moment of joyous celebration at winning a semi-final, Manchester United fans were instead left embarrassed once again by their team’s display.
First things first, United did make it to the FA Cup final where they will take on Manchester City for a chance to win the world’s oldest cup competition.
However, it was the manner of the victory which dampened many fans enthusiasm.
The reaction was also muted by the players. This was seen when Rasmus Hojlund fired in the decisive penalty in the shootout, wildly celebrated with the fans and turned around to notice that none of his teammates were in pursuit of him, like you would expect in a shootout victory.
Many of the players instead choosing to jog over gingerly or congratulate the Championship side for their fine efforts.
This was due to the fact that the team had raced into a 2-0 lead before half-time and, when Bruno Fernandes extended the lead just before the hour mark, it looked like the game was done and dusted.
But, as has become customary this season, United tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Coventry City were able to fight back to a sensational 3-3 draw at full-time, courtesy of a late penalty, as United showed their incredible mental fragility once more.
Things were almost so much worse when Coventry thought they had won in the final minute of extra time but the goal was chalked off for the narrowest of offsides. United would go on to win the penalty shootout but the game once more highlighted that there is something very wrong with this team.
This was the first time the Red Devils had failed to win a game after having a three goal lead since May 2013 according to OptaJoe.
3 – Manchester United have failed to win a match (in normal or extra-time) in which they led by three goals for the first time since drawing 5-5 with West Brom in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game in May 2013. Panic. pic.twitter.com/4JEZhygOia
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2024
This must also be qualified in the sense that this game was Sir Alex Ferguson’s last in charge and the title had already been won, so emotions were running high that day and the focus of the game was elsewhere.
Sadly, for Erik ten Hag’s squad, this is just the latest example of such weakness that in a consistently dreadful year.
United have demonstrated little character all season and this was highlighted by Roy Keane who, when speaking to ITV after the game stated, “I don’t see character in this group. It is getting to the stage where I’m actually starting to dislike them”.
Such lack of leadership was also seen when United broke the record of managing to lose a game after winning so late on in a match. This was achieved when the Old Trafford side were winning 3-2 after 99 minutes of play at Stamford Bridge but managed to throw away all three points by conceding two late goals to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
This must also be viewed in the context that the Red Devils had conceded an equaliser in the 99th minute against Brentford just a few days earlier, combining to give up five points across the final seconds of both matches.
The problem has been evident all season as the club’s Champions League campaign was littered with such moments of craziness. Two goal leads were lost in two crucial away games to FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray, which ultimately cost the Red Devils a place in the last 16 of the competition.
INEOS have much to fix this coming summer but the side’s marshmallow like strength in adversity should be number one. No side can seriously expect to compete when they fold in the face of pressure so readily, and this is what this United team are expected to do.
Hopefully the season ends in the right way and Bruno Fernandes is lofting up the FA Cup trophy. However, the fact that most fans would view this as a miracle right now, reveals the enormous underlying issues at the football club right now.
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