On a day that would end in sensational style at Old Trafford, Sunday kicked off at Stamford Bridge, playing host to a seemingly straight-forward Chelsea victory over Leicester City, 2-0 to the good, thanks to goals from Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer. Championship high-flyers, Leicester, had started well but had been exposed by Chelsea’s firepower and the Blues were forty-five minutes from their second domestic semi-final of the season. Six minutes into the second half, though and a sign of things to come perhaps, Chelsea highlighted their inconsistent season with a moment of madness. Axel Disasi, usually so reliable in defence, fired a back-pass towards his goalie, Robert Sanchez, who, unbeknown to his back four was strolling twenty yards from his own goal. Comically, the Spaniard watched the ball race towards his goal and send the onlooking Foxes fans into raptures. From nowhere, they were back in a tie they’d written off over their half-time pint.
The Foxes then dominated, pouncing on the mistakes caused by the toxic Chelsea atmosphere. On the hour, the impressive Stephy Mavididi curled home a majestic shot from eighteen yards to send a set of travelling fans from the midlands into footballing paradise, for the second time in two days. At 2-2, it initially looked like there would be one winner, however Chelsea flexed their muscles. A red card for Leicester’s Callum Doyle had left with them with a mountain to climb with fifteen minutes to go and Chelsea’s squad depth proved sufficient for killing Leicester dreams of a famous turn around.
Carney Chukwuemeka, a rising star plagued with injuries, came off the bench to expertly link up with Palmer and roll Chelsea ahead in the second minute of additional time. Facing ten men and shattered adrenaline, Chelsea had all but confirmed their second visit to Wembley of 2024 and made absolute sure of it as fellow substitute, Noni Madueke, wonderfully jinked past tackles before whipping the ball effortlessly into the top corner from twenty-five yards. A goal worthy of sending any team to Wembley, They had done it the hard way, but Chelsea had joined Manchester City and Coventry in the semi-final draw.
Somehow, neutrals had to catch their breath for the main event. Attention turned to Old Trafford as Liverpool, already with a trophy under their belt this term, looked to dump last season’s beaten finalists out and extend the Manchester United’s misery in the tournament to eight years. On St Patrick’s Day, it was a Scotsman who drew first blood, with Scott McTominay poking in a loose ball from close range to give United an early lead. The game ebbed and flowed but lacked the spark of a rivalry until the visitors turned the tie on its head moments before half-time. Alexis Mac Allister rifled the Reds level on forty-four minutes before the inevitable Mohammed Salah volleyed in from close range in stoppage time to silence Old Trafford and send Liverpool into half-time with a 2-1 lead. United huffed and puffed in a pulsating second half of football without luck until, with just three minutes to play, up stepped the forgotten man, Antony. The Brazilian winger, yet to justify his ninety-million-pound price tag from Ajax, turned on the edge of the box and on his weaker right foot, managed to squeeze the ball home and level things up.
Extra-time then produced thirty minutes of football for the ages. Harvey Elliot, an underrated cog in the ferocious Liverpool wheel, buzzed about the final third of the pitch as Liverpool pressed. Their persistence proved telling on the verge of halftime with Elliot unleashing from range on his trusty left foot and, thanks to a convenient deflection, nestled his strike into the bottom corner of Andre Onana’s goal. Liverpool were, again, just minutes from Wembley. With eight to play, Marcus Rashford was cutting a frustrated figure as a makeshift striker, yet he got his moment. McTominay’s driving run opened space and he rolled the ball into the path of Rashford. As he drew back his right foot, the stadium stood still, in unison. As the ball fizzed into the corner of Kelleher’s net, the stadium erupted into a volcano of noise. Suddenly, we were transported back to the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bryan Robson, Wayne Rooney. The stadium no longer hummed, it roared. Glimpses of the ‘the’ Manchester United were back.
As penalties beckoned, we were ready to close what had been the weekend that put the FA Cup back on the map with a penalty shootout. As Liverpool swung in a corner with all added time played, though, there would be one final twist. United had cleared and freed Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine broke clear, kept up with only by teammate, Amad Diallo. 75,000 Mancunians roared as their youthful attack entered the final third as Garnacho slipped through Diallo. The winger took his time as he drew back his left foot and rifled the ball in off the post. Pandemonium. His first senior goal for United, at the Stretford End to send his club to Wembley. His second yellow card for removing his shirt in the celebrations seemed laughable and almost added to the celebration, rather than blight it.
Four matches that had seen twenty goals, an old-fashioned rivalry, and Manchester City calmly assert themselves as strong favourites. Whether this is the return of the FA Cup of old is yet to be seen, but as Coventry City prepare to face off against Manchester United at Wembley and Chelsea look to halt the juggernaut of Manchester City, magic has well and truly been restored in this old but gold English competition.
