Fulham Stun Manchester United in FA Cup Fifth Round on Penalties

Manchester United's FA Cup title defence came to an end as they lost 4-3 to Fulham in a penalty shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 after extra time.

Manchester United's disappointing season took another turn for the worse as the FA Cup holders were eliminated from the competition after a 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat to Fulham in the fifth round on Sunday. The loss marked a new low for Ruben Amorim's side, who trailed to Calvin Bassey's first-half opener at Old Trafford before Bruno Fernandes equalized to force a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno emerged as the hero in the penalty shoot-out, saving attempts from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee. The visitors, on the other hand, converted all four of their kicks to secure the win. The defeat was met with boos from the Old Trafford faithful at half-time, and it marked another dismal result for United in a season that has seen them struggle in the Premier League, currently languishing in 14th place.

As the 13-time FA Cup winners, Manchester United had reached the final for the last two seasons and had beaten Manchester City to lift the trophy last year. However, there will be no trip to Wembley this season for United, who now have only the Europa League left as a chance to win silverware. It has been a challenging week at Old Trafford, with the announcement of 200 job cuts and the team struggling to draw with Everton and barely beating lowly Ipswich.

The tie will be settled on penalties. 👀#MUNFUL pic.twitter.com/3j8nxNMzeq

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) March 2, 2025

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim conceded that life is currently “hard” for the team after their FA Cup elimination. This latest setback adds to the pressure on Amorim, who took over as coach in November following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag. United's next fixtures include a Europa League last 16 first leg against Real Sociedad on Thursday and a Premier League match against Arsenal.

The match got off to a dispiriting start for United, with Rasmus Hojlund firing over from an acute angle after Christian Eriksen's cross found the struggling striker, who has now gone 18 games without scoring. Eriksen's curler was fisted away by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno, but this did little to alleviate the frustration of the United fans, who have grown weary of years of underachievement. The discontent was palpable, with abusive chants directed at United owners the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe audible in the first half.

Calvin Bassey has had a wild ride to the top 📈

He faced countless rejections from academy sides across the country as a youngster, having unsuccessful trials with the likes of Leyton Orient, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, and Wolves

Leicester City took a chance on him as a… pic.twitter.com/qnXXvjn0LW

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 2, 2025

The United supporters also expressed their dissatisfaction with the club's ticket price increases, displaying banners in the stands. Meanwhile, on the pitch, Fulham began to threaten, with Sasa Lukic heading over from Alex Iwobi's cross. This warning sign was ignored by United, and Fulham capitalized by snatching the lead with their first shot on target, just seconds before half-time. Calvin Bassey's goal gave the visitors a crucial advantage going into the break.

Manchester United's vulnerability at set-pieces was exposed once again as Andreas Pereira's corner was flicked on by Rodrigo Muniz, allowing Calvin Bassey to react quicker than Noussair Mazraoui and head home from six yards. This goal highlighted United's ongoing struggles with defending set-pieces, a weakness that has been consistently exploited by opposing teams.

United manager Ruben Amorim made the decision to leave Alejandro Garnacho on the bench for the first 53 minutes, a move likely influenced by the Argentine's petulant response to being substituted against Ipswich. Garnacho had stormed straight down the tunnel, an incident that Amorim claimed had been resolved after the winger agreed to buy dinner for his teammates. Amorim eventually brought on Garnacho with United trailing, but his introduction sparked little improvement from the team.

United goalkeeper Andre Onana was forced to make a crucial save, plunging to his right to stop Emile Smith Rowe from increasing Fulham's lead. As has often been the case this season, United captain Bruno Fernandes proved to be a vital presence, hauling his side level in the 71st minute with a superb low finish into the far corner from 12 yards. Fernandes met Diogo Dalot's cross with precision, temporarily lifting the spirits of the United faithful.

However, unlike their recent comebacks against Ipswich and Everton, United were unable to escape with a win this time. Onana denied Smith Rowe again in stoppage-time, setting up a scrappy extra-time period with few clear-cut chances. Chido Obi nearly scored for United, but his shot was nearly saved by Bernd Leno. Ryan Sessegnon also went close for Fulham, but Onana pushed his powerful effort away. Ultimately, United's fate was sealed in a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out, which Fulham won 4-3.