13 semi-final talking points

The sides could not be separated after an enthralling 120 minutes which ebbed and flowed, with both teams on top at various points but unable to find the net.

It fell then, to the oft-dreaded spot-kicks and, when Solly March missed his effort in sudden death, with the scores at 6-6, Victor Lindelof had the chance to win it for the Reds.

The Swede did just that, sparking pandemonium in the United end. Here are a baker's dozen of talking points from a great day in the capital, which sees us set up a mouthwatering final in June…

AN FA CUP FIRST

United and Brighton went into Sunday’s game knowing the identity of the side they were bidding to face in June’s final. Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over Sheffield United here 24 hours previously, courtesy of a Riyad Mahrez hat-trick, set up the prospect of a first-ever all-Manchester showpiece event in this competition – a remarkable stat considering United and City have won it 18 times between them. It was a destiny that would be realised, after two hours of tension...

TEN HAG’S TEAM

With Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez injured, and Harry Maguire suspended, it was unclear who would be partnering Lindelof in the centre of United’s defence – Luke Shaw and Casemiro have both filled in there this campaign, but the former has also had fitness issues recently, while the latter is arguably our key man in midfield. The XIs were announced at 15:30 BST and, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot both in the team, it was clear that Shaw had been given the job. Bruno Fernandes also returned to the side following suspension, while rumours of Anthony Martial being unavailable following his injury in Seville were unfounded as he started – as did Marcus Rashford, for the first time in a fortnight.

FAMILIAR SEATS

As is usually the case for club games at Wembley, the stadium was split down the middle, with Brighton supporters occupying the west end of the ground and United fans the east. It was the same seating arrangements as for February’s Carabao Cup final, where the travelling Reds celebrated the goals from Casemiro and Rashford wildly – even from the opposite side of the pitch. The atmosphere was a slow burner, but it really ramped up in the 10 minutes before kick-off, as the stadium DJ pumped out some crowd pleasers. United’s fans tried drowning it out as they ran through their songbook, while the Brighton end turned into a sea of waving blue plastic flags.

DEFIANT DAVID

After Thursday’s chastening evening in Seville, a strong, confident start was needed from United and David De Gea – who won’t have enjoyed watching back his own performance in Spain – gained some early confidence when he did well to claw away Alexis Mac Allister’s free-kick. The Argentina World Cup winner shaped to shoot towards De Gea’s right-hand post, but then went the other side, beating the wall with an effort that would have nestled in the net but for David’s stretching intervention. An early boost for our no.1, in what was his 13th appearance at Wembley – the ground where he made his Reds debut back in August 2011.

SOAKING UP PRESSURE

With Roberto De Zerbi’s side looking to dominate possession, United had to be initially a little bit more pragmatic than maybe we would have liked, as we adopted more of a counter-attacking strategy, often sitting back and biding our time before trying to bite on the break. The blue-and-white striped team recorded the higher volume of passes and were particularly threatening in the wide areas, yet it was the Reds who probably had the best efforts of the first half, as Robert Sanchez smartly saved from Fernandes, who survived an injury scare mid-half after turning nastily on his ankle following a challenge. It looked as though our Portuguese magnifico - who, uniquely among players in the top-five leagues, was making his 50th club appearance of the campaign - might have to be replaced as he hobbled around for a few minutes, but he was soon back running and looking to influence the game. He spurned a glorious chance just before the break, getting his radar all wrong and screwing a shot wide when played through by Casemiro. That ushered in a period of five minutes where we were clearly on top and Sanchez was again called upon, using his feet to deny Christian Eriksen just before the break.

COMBATIVE CASEMIRO

United’s midfield was far too passive in Seville and that had to change here. Casemiro in particular was right in the thick of the action in the opening 45 minutes, matching the energy of Brighton’s pair of Alexis Mac Allister and Felipe Caicedo and intervening in some really crucial areas as the Reds looked to stem the flow of Seagulls possession. Casemiro won the ball back on five separate occasions before the interval, but was unlucky to receive the game’s first yellow card as he downed Mac Allister deep in the Brighton half as we looked to quickly turn the ball over. That left him walking a disciplinary tightrope for the game’s remainder, although it didn’t stop him putting his foot in when required.

BRAVING BRIGHTON’S BARRAGE

The Seagulls roared out of the blocks after half-time, as United struggled to keep up with the intensity of the pace De Zerbi’s side were setting. De Gea produced an even better stop than his first effort when Julio Enciso unleashed a thunderbolt from outside the box, before Danny Welbeck headed wide. Ten Hag sensed the need to make a change and increase the energy, and Fred replaced the recently returned Christian Eriksen just after the hour mark. The Brazilian made his mark immediately, forcing Moises Caicedo into a rare mistake in possession and enabling us to stop the tide and move up the pitch.

THE ICEMAN COMETH

Lindelof probably hasn’t started as many games as he would have liked this season – this was just the 18th time the Swede had been named in a Ten Hag competitive XI. Due to the injuries and Maguire’s suspension, he was the senior man at the back and he assumed the role superbly, looking cool and calm in possession but not shirking a challenge either. A notable interception saw him nip a toe in to tackle Welbeck as he threatened to find an opening on 73 minutes, with the Scandinavian forcing our former player to foul him – an action which ended the participation of Brighton’s no.18. Of course, Victor was later to have the final word in deciding the contest.

EXTRA-TIME REQUIRED

Although both sides continued to push for the decisive first strike, the encounter became more tense with no-one wanting to make a crucial mistake with such little time left in the game. Craig Pawson eventually blew his whistle with the scores still locked at 0-0, ushering in our first period of extra-time at Wembley since 2016’s victorious final in this competition – when Jesse Lingard lashed in the winning goal on 110 minutes.

MADDISON PRAISES WAN-BISSAKA

A key battle cited by pundits in the lead-up to the game was Aaron Wan-Bissaka v Kaoru Mitoma, the Japan winger who has taken the Premier League by storm in his maiden campaign in England. Thankfully United have one of the best one-v-one defenders in the business – a view backed up by one of the top-flight’s premier playmakers in James Maddison, via social media, and Aaron shackled Mitoma well during his 101 minutes on the pitch. “AWB is ridiculously good at 1 v 1 defending,” the Leicester midfielder wrote on Twitter. “Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him.”

AWB is ridiculously good at 1 v 1 defending. Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him.

— James Maddison (@Madders10) April 23, 2023

SANCHO LIGHTS A SPARK

After being withdrawn at half-time in Spain, Jadon Sancho had a point to prove when he was introduced late in the game. Our no.25 was initially deployed wide left, and almost curled home what would have been a winning goal, only to see it deflected wide for a corner. Nevertheless, the England international was positive, looking to run forward with the ball and force an opening, and a lot of the good work we conjured during the extra 30 minutes came through him.

SPOT-KICK SALVATION

Even the most optimistic of United fans would have been feeling less-than-hopeful about the penalty shootout that awaited when the game finished goalless. The Reds had lost seven of our previous eight shootouts, with the exception a third-round Carabao Cup victory over Rochdale in 2019. Funnily enough, Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez was between the sticks that night and history repeated itself as Solly March was the only one of the 14 players to miss. Brighton’s no.7 powered his kick over the bar, leaving Lindelof to nervelessly slot home the winning kick of a penalty marathon which saw Casemiro, Diogo Dalot, Sancho, Rashford, Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst also convert from 12 yards. Glory, glory Man United!

1983, 1994, 2023

United's victory means this is just the third time we've ever reached both domestic finals in one season. In 1983, we beat Brighton in the FA Cup final replay, after losing the League Cup final to Liverpool, and it was more of the same 11 years on. Aston Villa ended our Treble hopes with a 3-1 League Cup final win at Wembley, but we consoled ourselves with the Cup - added to a Premier League triumph - after smashing Chelsea 4-0. Following February's success over Newcastle, Ten Hag's men now have the opportunity to explore uncharted territory by winning the League Cup and FA Cup in the same campaign.