Manchester United reached the FA Cup final the hard way after making hard work of the semi against Coventry City.
You cannot afford to let standards in football drop for a second, and Manchester United found this out the hard way against Coventry.
United were cruising against the Sky Blues at Wembley, leading 3-0 after an hour, leaving some to wonder if the scoreline could get out of hand.
Then something strange happened, Coventry scored one, and the game changed. Before we knew it, we were at 3-3 and heading to extra-time.
Coventry saw a late goal disallowed which would have won it, before Manchester United emerged as winners in a penalty shootout.
Andre Onana praised
Manchester United fans were left shellshocked by the way the game played out. There was no jubilation at the final whistle, just relief that the match was over.
It was hard to take satisfaction from how the team played, although it’s always good to see the team win a shootout.
Speaking on MUTV, former Manchester United midfielder Sammy McIlroy said only one player will be feeling good about their performance after the win, goalkeeper Andre Onana, after his shootout save.
McIlroy said: “He’ll be over the moon. He’ll be the one player who will be delighted with his performance.
“He has kept us in games with some fantastic saves. Gradually he is getting to know what Manchester United is all about.”
It was a strange game for Onana who had nothing to do for 70 minutes, and then ended up conceding three goals.
He made one big save at the end of normal time, before stepping up in the shootout to help turn the tie in United’s favour.
McIlroy’s comments are a little harsh toward some of the other players, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes were both particularly impressive, along with Diogo Dalot.
Andre Onana penalty record for Manchester United
Andre Onana saved a penalty for Manchester United against Copenhagen in the Champions League earlier in the season.
But since then, he has been unfortunate, not saving another, with United fans frustrated by him being sent the wrong way twice by Cole Palmer against Chelsea, and then against Liverpool recently.
It was the same in normal time against Coventry City – but in the shootout he stepped up with a vital save.
He has only saved one of 10 penalties faced in matches for Manchester United. In shootouts, he has faced four, and conceded only two.