Norwich City 1, Manchester United 2 AET (FA Cup Quarter Final)
Manchester United qualified for the FA Cup semi finals with a late Extra Time goal by Harry Maguire against 10-man Norwich City.
Embed from Getty ImagesOdion Ighalo proved his value to Manchester United again by flicking a second half goal from six yards to open the scoring after a slow start but Todd Cantwell’s superbly struck equaliser forced extra time.
It was a game of few chances but Cantwell’s equaliser with 15 minutes to go ensured that the game would go to added time, but late red card in normal time for Timm Klose put the Reds on top for extra time and Maguire’s late strike broke Norwich hearts after a rear guard action that left them less than three minutes from penalties.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named several changes from the side that beat Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday with one eye on the game at Brighton on Tuesday as they chased a Champions League spot but they were up against a relatively strong Norwich side.
Hat trick hero Anthony Martial was named on a talented bench as United prioritised European football next season.
There were eight changes in total for the first FA Cup tie ever to be played in June – with only Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Bruno Fernandes staying in the side from Wednesday.
Tim Krul was quickly into action to save a lofted ball into the Norwich area after Harry Maguire’s challenge while Jesse Lingard showed some smart footwork but without end product.
Neither side could muster a shot on target with Kenny McLean and Eric Bailly efforts wayward in the first half hour.
The tepid start even seemed to get to Teemu Pukki was couldn’t outpace Luke Shaw’s recovery run when he looked to have been set free with half of the pitch to run into and just Sergio Romero in front of him.
Lukas Rupp’s shot was blocked early by Maguire, a follow-up by Emiliano Buendia also blocked while Todd Cantwell fired over the bar as Norwich finally gained enough confidence to commit to an attack.
United improved in the second half and Fred found Bruno Fernandes in space but a mistimed attempt to hook the ball saw the ball go wide.
Odion Ighalo makes the breakthrough after turgid start at Carrow Road
The breakthrough came through in the 51st minute with Odion Ighalo, who had no service until the second half, volleyed the ball home from six yards to continue his record of scoring in every game he has started.
Luke Shaw’s cross was deflected into the air and the Nigerian reacted first to sweep the ball past Tim Krul for his 5th goal in 4 starts and finally rouse the game into action.
It was Ighalo’s fifth goal in four starts for the Reds and the first shot on target in 51 turgid minutes at Carrow Road vindicating the decision to extend the Nigerian’s loan from Shanghai Shenhua until January.
Solskjaer made a triple substitution shortly after the hour mark to freshen up the side and Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Brandon Williams came on for Lingard, Shaw, and Juan Mata.
Ben Godfrey headed his own player’s ball off the United line as his slipped just as it looked like the Canaries would equalise with 20 minutes to go from a free kick that deflected off Fernandes and Alex Tettey.
But the disappointment was short lived as Todd Cantwell’s spectacular goal levelled it 5 minutes later when he received the ball in space and hammered in an equaliser from 25 yards out, the ball swerving past Maguire and Sergio Romero.
Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba were called for immediately, replacing Fred and Scott McTominay.
Greenwood went for goal after cutting inside from the right but couldn’t get his shot on target while Romero was more assured in beating away Godfrey’s cross late in the game while Buendia’s raking shot went wide of the back post as the Canaries finished strongly.
But the wind was pulled out of their sales when Timm Klose brought down Ighalo after a clever back heel by Fernandes released him – the German was sent off.
Ighalo had a shot blocked by Godfrey while Pogba and Greenwood had late efforts saved by Tim Krul as as United tried to win the tie in normal time.
Those two efforts were the only shots on target apart from the goals in the normal 90 minutes.
United became the first team to make a sixth substitution with Eric Bailly making way for Martial as Solskjaer went for it.
United had the lion’s share of extra time action with Pogba forcing a save out of Krul while Jamal Lewis deflected Pogba’s cross away from Martial at the back post.
The Canaries survived another two close calls when Krul dived to claw away a Maguire header and Fernandes shot as a full strength United attack battered them till the end.
It was Maguire who finally made the Canaries weep in the 118th minute arriving first to the loose ball when Pogba’s cross was touched on by Ighalo and stabbed it home through the crowd for his third goal of the season to extend United’s unbeaten run to 14 games.
GOALS – Norwich City 1, Manchester United 2
Norwich City 0, Man Utd 1: 51. Odion Ighalo reacted first when Luke Shaw’s cross was deflected into the air and the Nigerian swept the arcing ball past Tim Krul from close range.
Norwich City 1, Man Utd 1: 75. Todd Cantwell’s swerving strike from outside the area curled away between Harry Maguire and Sergio Romero to level the score.
Norwich City 1, Man Utd 2: 118. Harry Maguire stabbed the loose ball home after Paul Pogba’s cross was touched on by Odion Ighalo.
MATCH STATS – Norwich City 1, Manchester United 2
Norwich City: Krul, Aarons, Godfrey, Klose, Lewis (Idah 118), McLean, Tettey, Rupp (Hernandez 63), Buendia (Duda 90), Cantwell (Trybull 90), Pukki (Drmic 72)
Norwich City Subs not used: McGovern, Vrancic, Leitner, Stiepermann
Red Card: Klose 88 (foul on Odion Ighalo)
Goal: Cantwell 75
Manchester United: Romero, Dalot, Bailly (Martial 95), Maguire, Shaw (Williams 63), McTominay (Matic 78), Fred (Pogba 78), Mata (Greenwood 63), Fernandes, Lingard (Rashford 63), Ighalo
Manchester United Subs not used: De Gea, Pereira, Fosu-Mensah
Booking: Fernandes 108 (foul on Hernandez)
Goals: Ighalo 51, Maguire 118
Referee: Jonathan Moss