Manchester United secured a place in the FA Cup final by beating Brighton & Hove Albion in a thrilling penalty shootout at Wembley on Sunday. The match ended 0-0 after extra time, resulting in the first-ever all-Manchester final. United’s Victor Lindelof found the net to seal a 7-6 shootout victory for the Red Devils after Solly March, Brighton’s seventh player to step up, sent his shot over the bar.
Lindelof expressed his relief and delight at the win, telling the BBC, “It felt great. I have confidence in myself, and I knew which penalty I wanted to take, and that’s what I did.” The game was full of excitement and wild swings, making for a nail-biting finale to the goalless 120 minutes of play.
Despite the pouring rain, the quality of the penalties was impressive, with United scoring all seven of their spot kicks. Brighton’s first six efforts were equally impressive until March’s miss. United goalkeeper David De Gea praised his team’s penalties and added that there’s still a long way to go until the final against Manchester City.
Manchester United will face Manchester City in the final, with City having defeated Sheffield United 3-0 in their semifinal on Saturday. Erik ten Hag’s United team is aiming for a cup double after winning the League Cup in February. De Gea spoke of United’s confidence in being able to beat City, having won 2-1 against them in the Premier League at Old Trafford in January.
The semifinal was a rematch of the 1983 final, where Brighton lost to United in the south coast side’s only appearance in the showcase game. The game was full of chances for both sides to break the deadlock, with Marcus Rashford having a deflected shot pushed wide by Brighton’s diving keeper Robert Sanchez in extra time. Kaoru Mitoma almost won it for Brighton late in extra time, but collided with De Gea in the box.
The loss ended Brighton’s superb run and their hopes of winning their first-ever major trophy. The FA Cup final will be held at Wembley on June 3. De Gea commented that United had another big game coming up against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday, and that they needed to recover from the semifinal before focusing on that match.
