Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (3-4 on penalties): Bernd Leno produces heroics in the shootout as Fulham knock holders out of the FA Cup

A snapshot of the scene at the end of a penalty shoot-out perfectly executed and won by Marco Silva’s engaging Fulham team told us two things.

As Fulham’s players sprinted towards the Stretford End to mob their goalkeeper Bernd Leno, it was clear just how much the FA Cup still means and also the depth of elation felt by teams and players when they win at Manchester United. An old fashioned scene for a union of two old fashioned emotions.

Equally here, there was nothing to be remotely surprised about. Fulham are nine points and five places ahead of United in the Premier League. They have a positive goal difference while United do not. So to come north and draw and then prevail on penalties is very much what we should maybe expect given the new order of things in English football.

When United lose against anybody but the biggest and best teams in England an indeed Europe, there is often still a knee jerk reaction of shock and horror. Reasons are immediately sought for United’s failure. Players and managers are lined up and blamed.

But the truth is that those instincts are starting to feel rather out of date. This is where United are and this is what United are. A lower half top flight club now out of both domestic cup competitions. Those who haven’t yet woken up to the new reality of things maybe never will.

In many ways, the only barriers left for visiting teams to conquer at Old Trafford are psychological. That has very much been the case for Silva and Fulham. They lost spectacularly here in this competition on the back of three red cards – including one for the manager – two years ago and matched United twice in the league this season only to lose twice by the single goal.

Joshua Zirkzee and Victor Lindelof missed the crucial penalties as Fulham progressed

United were left regretting an afternoon during which they failed to stick away their chances

So, yes, the mountain before them here was one made only of confidence – or lack of – and standing and belief. In terms of the football, they are good enough as so many are now. Finally, this time, it turned their way and we only had to look at the players left on the field for the shoot-out to see why that was.

As time had dragged on – there were 137 minutes of actual play before the penalties – Fulham had sent on players such as Harrison Reed, Raul Jiminez, Willian and Emile Smith Rowe. Experience and talent and know how. 

For United, it had been Casemiro and Alejandro Garnacho but also raw untried teenage players such as Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi. It would have been hard to trust those two in particular with a penalty in the opening batch of five and we should not blame United manager Ruben Amorim for not doing so.

But all this left him with a defender at two – Diogo Dalot – and another – Victor Lindelof – at four. Dalot scored but Lindelof didn’t and that opened the door to Fulham’s place in the last eight.

The first six penalties were scored impressively. Bruno Fernandes, Dalot and Casemiro for United and Jiminez, Sander Berge – who was brilliant all day – and Willian for Fulham. 

Then Lindelof invited Bernd Leno to save to his right and when Fulham captain Antonee Robinson rolled in his team’s fourth, Leno moved the other way to deny Joshua Zirkzee.

It was a dramatic end to a decent afternoon. This was an FA Cup tie that didn’t sparkle in the regulation minutes but grew in intrigue the longer it went. Extra-time periods are often rather dull but this one wasn’t. Both teams strained to win and the game became stretched. There were chances at both ends.

The depths of Fulham’s desire was clear all afternoon. Silva hadn’t attempted to hide it in the build up and by half-time his team were ahead. United had started brightly enough but couldn’t maintain it and when Fulham scored in added time, nobody was really surprised.

 Calvin Bassey headed Fulham in front on the brink of half-time after an uneventful 45 minutes

Bassey’s opener left Manchester United trailing at Old Trafford yet again this campaign

The Red Devils are suffering a woeful drought from open play in the first half of games 

Bruno Fernandes fired in a clever first-time finish to equalise for Man United in the second half

Alejandro Garnacho came on to try and impact the match but could not change the course of the game 

Neither side made the most of extra-time but Fulham held their nerve in the shoot-out

It marks another painful day for Ruben Amorim, who is watching his United tenure unravel

Fernandes disputed the legitimacy of a corner conceded in front of the Fulham fans and may have had a point but United still should have defended it better. First Rodrigo Muniz peeled off to flick the ball on and then Calvin Bassey stole in unmarked at the back post to head it past Andre Onana. It looked like a training ground move and United were not alive to it.

The response of the home team was not hugely impressive either. Garnacho came on but made little impact. Smith-Rowe worked Onana from 18 yards at one end while Fernandes was ambitious at the other.

United’s Portuguese remains a candle in the dark at United. He always turns up and here he did so once again. A low cross from Dalot on the overlap in the 71st minute left Fernandes with only one option and that was to shoot first time. 

He was 14 yards out with bodies in front of him and odds against him. But his left foot contact was true and as the ball passed between the legs of Fulham defender Joachim Andersen, it curled away from Leno and in to the far corner. It was a super goal out of nothing.

In old money, United would have built on that platform and stormed the Fulham ramparts.

 But this was different. They were tentative and uncertain. Young Obi – taken from Arsenal – was leggy and carried nuisance value but lacked composure. He could have won it at the end of normal time and indeed once in extra time. Leno saved the second one well at his near post.

But Fulham played arguably the more constructive football. They moved the ball better and with more familiar and clear patterns. Smith Rowe was close and so, near the end of extra time, was Ryan Sessegnon. That one required a good save from Onana.

United got the luck of the draw before the shoot-out, meaning Fulham had to take their kicks with a rather raucous Stretford End as a backdrop. But it takes more than a little noise to knock a modern footballer from his stride and the execution of the Fulham players was excellent.

They knew they were the equal of the opponent here on this sharp early spring afternoon in Manchester. That was important and is a feeling increasingly known to many.