Last night's cup match between Manchester United and Fulham was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. It was a game that had everything - scintillating comebacks, surreal passages of play, and three red cards in just 40 seconds for Fulham that left fans and pundits alike speechless, it is another reminder of why the FA Cup can produce some of the craziest games we've ever seen.
Before the game exploded on the 70th minute, it seemed like Fulham had the upper hand. They were tactically outplaying United and taking the game to them. But all that changed when United's Jadon Sancho launched a surprise attack that resulted in a goal line stop via the hands of Fulham's Willian.
This decision invited the referee to the VAR screen, and that's when things started to go awry for Fulham. Manager Marco Silva was visibly irate and threw water bottles, prompting the officials to send him to the stands. The handball decision led to the second red card, and things quickly escalated into chaos with players from both teams getting involved in a scuffle.
ABSOLUTE SCENES AT OLD TRAFFORD!! 😳
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 19, 2023
Tempers are flaring as Fulham go from 1-0 up to conceding a penalty and going down to 9-men... 🤯#ITVFootball | @EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/6vWTYNgRGT
But the drama didn't end there. The third red card was brandished to Mitrovic for disorderly conduct towards the referee, leaving Fulham with just nine men and no manager. And that's when Manchester United ruthlessly sucker-punched them, with Sancho once again playing a key role. His slide-rule ball to Luke Shaw was sublime, and when Marcel Sabitzer slid home from near-in, Old Trafford erupted with joy.
Some fans and pundits are still debating whether the dismissals for Fulham were fair, but one thing's for sure - this match will be talked about for a long time to come. And as Manchester United book a semi-final berth against Brighton at Wembley next month, we can only wonder what other surprises await us in the world of football.
