United Kingdom (AFP)
Coventry City, from the second level, the “Championship”, was on the verge of eliminating Manchester United, after it turned a three-point deficit in front of them into a 3-3 draw, before penalty kicks deprived it of the dream of competing in the FA Cup final, after it smiled at the “Red Devils” team. » Who decided it 4-2.
United joined its arch-neighbor, Manchester City, the “defending champion,” who qualified for the final by defeating Chelsea 1-0.
The scenario was repeated last season when the two neighbors reached the title match and the city's Blue Pole won it 2-1.
By qualifying for the twenty-second final in its history, crowned with 12 titles, in second place on the list of most decorated teams behind Arsenal (14), United will have the opportunity to salvage its disappointing season in the Premier League, as it currently occupies seventh place, 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and 10 ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham. .
On the other hand, the adventure of Coventry City, which dreamed of reaching the final for the first time since 1987, ended when it won its first and only title by defeating Tottenham 3-2 after extra time.
In the first confrontation since losing in the third round of the League Cup 0-2 in September 2007 against a team that had been absent from the Premier League since 2001, United controlled the proceedings from the beginning, searching for a goal that would open the way to the final on May 25.
Dutch coach Eric Ten Hag's team achieved what it wanted and opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Scot Scott McTominay, who received the ball at the right post from a cross by Portuguese Diogo Dalo, and deposited it into the net, taking advantage of a wrong exit by goalkeeper Bradley Collins.
When the first half was drawing its last breath, United added the second goal in the final seconds with a header by Harry Maguire, following a corner kick taken from the right side by Portuguese Bruno Fernandes (1 + 45).
At the beginning of the second half, “United” believed that it had dealt the final blow to Coventry City, adding the third goal through Bruno Fernandes, in front of whom the ball fell, after the defender extracted it from Marcus Rashford. He shot it from a narrow angle to turn from defender Bobby Thomas and deceive goalkeeper Collins (59).
But United's laxity allowed Coventry to return to the match by reducing the gap in the 71st minute through Ellis Sims after a cross from Portuguese Fabio Tavarez. Then the fans of the “Red Devils” lived difficult moments, after Coventry added the second goal through Callum O'Hare, whose shot was diverted from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and deceived. His Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana (79).
The comeback would have been complete if Onana had not excelled in blocking a shot by Danish Victor Topp (85), and then the shock occurred in stoppage time, when the ball bounced off Wan-Bissaka’s hand in the forbidden area, so the referee awarded a penalty kick to which the American Haji Wright successfully took ( 5 + 90), forcing two additional periods that United played without Rashford, who left in the final seconds of regular time due to injury.
Coventry entered the first extra half with the spirit of returning from afar, and played without any reservation, but United were the most dangerous with their unsuccessful attempts in front of the goal, so the result remained the same until the second extra half, in which the “Championship” representative was the most dangerous party, but also ineffective. That was until the first minute of stoppage time, when Torp thought he had snatched the winning goal, but the referee canceled it due to offside on the passer Haggai Wright (120).
The two teams then resorted to penalty kicks, which made United smile.
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