Paul Pogba has a shot saved.

Talking points from Carrow Road

Saturday 27 June 2020 20:53

Manchester United are through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norwich City thanks to a 118th-minute goal from Harry Maguire.

Odion Ighalo broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half when he fired the ball past Canaries stopper Tim Krul from close range, but Todd Cantwell levelled things up for the hosts with a strike from the edge of the area, 15 minutes from time.

Despite being reduced to 10 men when Ighalo was pulled down by Timm Klose, Norwich managed to hang on in the closing stages and force the game into extra-time. With penalties on the cards, the ball broke to Maguire, who was still in the box following a corner, and the United captain took his chance to send the Reds to Wembley.

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The Reds progress to the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup after late drama at Carrow Road.

Here are the talking points from out quarter-final success at Carrow Road…

Another FA Cup semi-final!
Harry's late goal means United now progress to a record 30th FA Cup semi-final, although Arsenal can match that figure if they get past Sheffield United on Sunday. On two-thirds of those occasions we’re reached the final, going on to win it 12 times.

Ighalo in the goals again
Odion’s 51st-minute strike was his third in the FA Cup this season, adding to the brace he scored in the Reds’ 3-0 victory at Derby in the last round. By increasing his cup tally the Nigerian also netted his fifth goal in just four starts, since he joined at the end of the January transfer window. That immense goalscoring return was, no doubt, a factor in him extending his loan deal to complete the season and he could prove vital as the cup run continues.

Reds' run rolls on

United are now unbeaten in 14 matches in all competitions – a run which began with a win in the FA Cup. The Reds’ 6-0 victory over Tranmere in the fourth round, all the way back on 11 January, was the first of 10 wins in that time, with the other four matches ending in a draw. Across those 14 games, we’ve scored 35 goals, conceding just four and have kept 10 clean sheets.

Breaking new ground

Saturday's FA Cup tie has become not only the latest that the Reds have been involved in during a campaign, but also the latest to be played in a season. Owing to the enforced break in the football calendar, it means the back-end of the competition has entered June for the first time in its 139-year history, with the previous latest matches played on 30 May – including the finals in 2009 and 2015.

The same but different

Although Ole made eight changes to the starting XI that faced Sheffield United in midweek, with only captain Maguire, Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes retaining their places, there was a familiar feel to the team. That familiarity comes from the fact that Solskjaer’s side lined up almost identically to how we did in our fifth-round triumph over Derby County, with only Victor Lindelof making way for Maguire, who was ill that night.

Jesse back in action

Having been an unused substitute at Tottenham and missing the win over Sheffield United due to illness, Jesse Lingard got his first minutes in following the restart and it was clear the England international had been itching to be back in action. A lively performance saw him involved in action at both ends of the field, but a lack of match action meant he wasn’t able to see out the match and was replaced by Marcus Rashford shortly after the hour mark. Meanwhile, Tim Fosu-Mensah was on the bench - his last senior appearance for the Reds came three years ago against Crystal Palace, one of the clubs where he has been on loan.

Games coming thick and fast

Having played out 120 minutes to round off United’s third match in nine days, Solskjaer’s side will be back in action again in three days’ time. A trip to the south coast to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday will be our fourth game since matches resumed in June and the third away from home.

A sixth sub

Anthony Martial’s introduction in place of Eric Bailly during extra-time saw the Frenchman become United’s first-ever sixth sub in a competitive game. The change, which meant the Reds finished the match with more players from the bench on the field than had started on it, came as a result of teams being allowed to make five subs following the restart – but also being allowed an additional one during extra-time.

We are all United as the Reds go marching on! On sale now, get your 2019/20 kit while stocks last.

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