Manchester United v Fulham: FA Cup fifth round – live
Key events
75 min Zirkzee goes down after an aerial challenge with, I think, Lukic; he got an arm in the neck, but should be fine.
74 min Immediately, though, Fulham are back at United, Castagne crossing from the right and De Ligt, fully stretched, poking to the edge and Robison is there! But his right-footed curler flies well over, and this is, i believe, what they call tempo.
72 min Old Trafford has woken up. There’s now a cup-tie feel about this cup-tie.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (Fernandes 71)
Where on earth would United be without this man? He’s not perfect, no, but imagine their last five years without him! Dalot opts not to waste another cross, cutting back from the left, and Fernandes steps away to make space, using the pace and direction of the ball to sweep a perfect left-footed finish just past Leno’s drive, spinning low into the far side-netting. What a player.
70 min Onana punches clear, taking a bit of Lindelof too, and United counter, Dalot delivering another poor cross, but for once his mates sustain the attack…
69 min A long ball and Muniz flicks on nicely, Pereira collects, and he’s one-on-one with Lindelof, United’s back three now the slowest since records began. But the defenders holds him up well enough, allowing De Ligt to tank over and into a decent challenge; corner to Fulham.
68 min Two more changes for United, Obi and Casemiro for Hojlund and Eriksen.
67 min A recess, for Mazraoui to celebrate iftar with Lucozade and a tub of something.
66 min Fulham knock it about, Hojlund chasing to little avail. He has, I’m afraid, had another Hojlund game, enduring dreadful service but with little knack for finding space and anticipating where the ball might arrive.
64 min And here come Fulham, Smith Rowe taking the ball and dragging a shot through De Ligt’s legs as the defender jumps aimlessly; Onana plunges to his right and applies just enough palm to ball.
63 min To win this competition last season, United beat Liverpool in an epic, almost lost to Coventry from 3-0 up, and beat Manchester City in impressive fashion. So far, this is the tepidest of concessions/.
62 min The first flash of Fernandes who, after acceptable work from Zirkzee, takes a pass from Eriksen, works the ball on to his right foot and, from 25 yards, shoots; Leno saves easily enough.
61 min The how crowd try to rouse United, then Garnacho bursts past Castagne on the outside, only to thrash his cross beyond everyone. That too was a highlight.
59 min On Thursday night, United are away to Sociedad; a bad result and their season could be almost over. If so, it’s a long way home from there.
58 min Robinson and Smith Rowe interchange nicely, the letter doing well to bring a pass from behind him into stride. But when he tries to meg De Ligt, the defender closes the gap, and the resultant throw comes to nowt.
57 min Inspired, Dalot takes a pass from Garnacho and stands up a cross, Mazraoui heading tamely into the ground; Leno collects easily.
57 min Garnacho lets rip a screamer of a snot rocket. It’s United’s most threatening move of the game.
56 min Nice turn from Muniz, who looks for Smith Rowe as Mazraoui slips … but the pass is behind him and the defender recovers to clear.
55 min United win a free-kick 45 yards out and Eriksen swing into the box, but puts too much on it for any of its would-be attackers. Ten minutes of the second half gone and the home side have offered nothing.
52 min Marco Silva send on Smith Rowe for Traore, which will give United a different threat to police, while Amorim tries Garnacho for Ugarte – Eriksen will drop in next to Bruno, making as physically weak a two as can ever have been deployed, and Lindelof replaces Yoro. That should sort it.
51 min We’ve barely seen Bruno so far. United have to find a way of getting him on the ball; he needs to find a way of getting himself on the ball. Meantime, Traore goes down with what looks like a dicky ankle, presumably after falling down that ramp behind the goal, and that’ll be his day done.
50 min United are just so ponderous and unimaginative in everything they do. but there’s another diag from De Ligt to Dalot, Anderson in quickly to challenge Eriksen.
49 min Garnacho has taken his trousers off. He’ll be on soon, unless he’s got different plans.
48 min They can, and when Fulham pick up the loose ball then pump it back in, they’re soon caught offside.
47 min Traore attacks Dalot, crosses, and as the ball is blocked behind he runs off down the slope and bangs into the hoarding. Corner to Fulham; can United defend this one properly?
46 min We go again. No changes, but Garnacho is surely imminent, perhaps Obi too. United have almost nothing else available.
“If United are going to get back in this,” returns David Wall, ‘they’ll need a lot of Electrolyte(s) at half time. If they don’t this could represent a new Low for Amorim’s side. And they can be sure the whole Country (will) Feedback about that.”
Talking of which, what a version this is:
“Also on the ‘save our concession’ banner,” writes David Wall, “by making nitpicking cuts to try to plug holes in the outgoings rather than looking at the Glazers’ debt and dividends, is Ratcliffe attempting new adventures in hi-fi(nance).”
I’m not sure, but at some point there’s got to be a Reckoning.
“United’s defence of that corner,” says Richard Wood. “Stand in the place where you are.”
Someone in the ground just messaged me wondering if it was corner and looking again, it might well have come off Pereira not Fernandes. Fulham won’t care.
HALF-TIME: Manchester United 0-1 Fulham
A miserable half of football, but now we’ve got a goal, perhaps it’ll improve. Or, er, perhaps not.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Fulham (Bassey 45+1)
All united need to do is see this ball away and they cannot. Pereira swings out, Muniz is there before Ugarte then Bassey, peeling off at the far post, is there before Mazraoui, guiding past Onana from close range with head and shoulder. In his first FA Cup game, he’s scored his first FA Cup goal!
45 min Bit of possession for Fulham, Traore feeding one in behind for Castagne, whose cross is blocked behind by Bruno. Corner with the first half almost over … which Maguire heads clear. But the visitors soon win another as the fourth official signals there’s to be one minute of additional time.
43 min “Pathetic game so far,” says Duncan Edwards. “Meanwhile there’s talk of restricting the time that goalies can hold the ball and I’m all in favour. Is it me or has there also been a creep up in players not retreating 10 yards at free kicks, and throw-ins taking a fortnight?”
And, if you’re Arsenal, over corners. I too think this is a good change, all the more so given teams have now realised good set-pieces are part of their job and also extremely rewarding.
42 min Given Fulham kicked off, we can only assume United opted not to attack the Stretford End in the second half as per tradition. I wonder if that’s to lessen the pressure on them; what a sorry state of affairs that’d be.
40 min This time, Fulham clear properly and United build again, Bruno swinging over a terrific ball from the right, Zirkzee stealing a yard off Bassey – imagine his shame! – to extend a leg and poke wide of the near post. Good effort but never likely to result in a goal.
