Man Utd 1-1 Fulham: FA Cup holders knocked out as Cottagers advance to quarter-finals | OneFootball

They say old habits die hard, and for Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, their inability to defend corners proved costly as Fulham eliminated them from the competition they won last season.

The last FA Cup fifth-round match of the weekend saw the visitors from West London go in front after Calvin Bassey capitalised on United’s lackadaisical defending just before half-time.

This is nothing we haven’t seen from the Red Devils during their 2024/25 campaign. It now reads 13 goals conceded from corners in all competitions, the highest of any Premier League team. Although United showed improvement in defensive and offensive set pieces after the first three to four weeks under Amorim, there is a baseline standard and expectation beyond management and tactics.

More importantly, their captain, Bruno Fernandes, believed the initial corner was awarded incorrectly, as it last touched Andreas Pereira. Instead of allowing that perceived unfair decision to overwhelm him—something he often struggles with—he needed to gather his teammates and refocus them before the whistle at such a critical moment.

Fernandes redeemed himself deep into the second half by scoring United’s leveller. This brings his involvement to 12 goals in his last 12 FA Cup appearances, with eight goals and four assists. He’s only failed to score or assist in two of these 12 matches.

No further goals were scored, and United had to play extra time for the second time in three FA Cup matches this season. This was uncharted territory for the Cottagers, who had breezed past Watford and Wigan in earlier rounds.

Both teams failed to score during the additional 30 minutes, leading to the dreaded penalty shootout. Marco Silva’s men emerged victorious, winning 4-3. Victor Lindelöf and Joshua Zirkzee missed their spot-kicks for the hosts, with Bernd Leno saving both attempts. This led to pandemonium from the Fulham bench and their supporters, who made their way to Old Trafford.

Before this match, United had progressed from their last nine FA Cup ties against Fulham, with the last defeat being a 2-1 loss in the quarter-finals back in 1908, this also marked the fourth time Fulham faced the FA Cup holders in the competition, and they had been eliminated in each of the previous three encounters. Now, they have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the second time in the last three seasons.

Fulham’s reward for their performance is an all-London tie as they host Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, Preston will entertain Aston Villa, Bournemouth will welcome Manchester City, and Brighton will face either Nottingham Forest or Ipswich at home.

For United, this marks the end of a lackluster title defense. They showed some determination in a third-round match against Arsenal, where they had to play with ten men before ultimately triumphing on penalties. They required a very late, controversial goal from Harry Maguire to turn around a 1-0 deficit against Leicester City at home.

This elimination diminishes United’s silverware hopes to just the Europa League, and getting past Real Sociedad in the round of 16 will be a tough challenge, especially considering their weaknesses in defending set-pieces and their struggles in scoring goals.

Amorim will understandably be disappointed, as it increasingly looks like United will finish in the bottom half of the Premier League unless they can string together a series of victories, which has proven to be easier said than done.

On the other hand, Fulham is aiming for a top-half finish, and their hopes of winning their first-ever FA Cup are still alive. With the clubs remaining in the competition, it’s anyone’s game, including Man City, who haven’t been at their best lately.