Bernd Leno is Fulham's shootout hero as Manchester United exit FA Cup
The final spot-kick score was 4-3 to the visitors who, marginally, deserved their passage, though this was a slog through 120 minutes of meagre fare that was no advertisement for the world's oldest knockout competition.
Two years ago Lindelöf was United's hero, with his spot-kick, after semi-final extra time against Brighton, taking Erik ten Hag's side to the showpiece, which they lost 2-1 to Manchester City.
In 2022-23 the Dutchman had already guided United to the Carabao Cup and followed that with last season's triumph in this competition. But, if Ruben Amorim is to emulate his predecessor with a trophy in a first campaign, then it will have to be in the Europa League, in which he takes his beleaguered team to Real Sociedad for Thursday's last-16 opening leg.
Fulham's goalkeeper Bernd Leno saved both Lindelöf's and Zirkzee's penalties and Marco Silva's side now stand a quarter-final and semi-final away from a Wembley tilt at a first major piece of silverware.
United were the same old sorry tale: a liability at the back and toothless in the final third.
Fulham had taken the lead in first-half stoppage time when Calvin Bassey headed in from close range after Rodrigo Muniz had flicked on a corner, but Bruno Fernandes equalised with a superb shot from the edge of the area in the 71st minute.
Sign up to Football Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
Jamie Jackson's full match report to follow
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ruben Amorim urges Man Utd to turn Old Trafford into a fortress
Ruben Amorim stressed the importance of turning Old Trafford back into 'an enjoyable place' for Manchester United fans as he seeks to chip away at nervousness and create a fortress. Last season was the club's worst top-flight campaign since relegation in 1974 and saw the misfiring Red Devils suffer nine home defeats in the Premier League. It represented United's joint-most home losses in a single league campaign, yet three months on there is a sense of renewed hope, thanks in no small part to some eye-catching signings, as they return to Old Trafford. Amorim's refreshed side open their campaign against title challengers Arsenal on Sunday, when he wants to start to changing the feeling within the stadium. Asked if it is important that United makes Old Trafford a difficult place for opposition teams, he said: 'And an enjoyable place for our fans. That is really important. 'But we don't have to think about… it's just one game against Arsenal, against one team that everyone in this room thinks Arsenal is going to win. 'I know that, so we'll be there on Sunday to change things.' Pushed on whether it became a mental issue for his players, Amorim continued: 'It's not a mental thing. It's not just for the players, it's also for the fans. 'Even the (pre-season) game against Fiorentina you can feel it. The fans are a little bit nervous. 'This feeling is not [clicks finger] just one day, one game, so it's a feeling that we have to fight everyone together – the players, the coaches and the fans – and we are going to change things.' There is certainly a different feeling heading into the campaign than this time last year, when Erik ten Hag admitted ahead of the opener that his team were not ready for the season. 'We are ready for the season,' successor Amorim said. 'We prepare well during the pre-season. Pre-season is pre-season. 'We are going to start, we are going to struggle, but what we are going to see on Sunday then we are going to work to improve, and we are going to improve during the season. 'But we are prepared to win against Arsenal. That is the only thing that matters.' Amorim, who took charge in November, expects an upturn in fortunes after a first season in which the United boss admitted he went into games knowing that they would struggle. On his feelings heading into the Arsenal clash, he said: 'Confident. I know that in some moments we are going to struggle. It's a game against Arsenal so we are going to struggle in some moments. 'We are more prepared, and I feel that we have more players that can help us in one moment to change the momentum of the game and that can give you confidence. 'And we have more options. If things are not working well, we can change things, so that gives me more confidence for every game.' United's bolstered frontline plays a key role in that, with striker Benjamin Sesko last weekend following Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to Old Trafford. 'It's that feeling that we could struggle here or there in the way we play but we can score,' Amorim explained. 'I think Cunha, and you saw it last two seasons, can catch the ball and create something. Bryan can make one run and he's there to score a goal. 'These kind of things I think can help us a lot, especially in moments that we are struggling. One guy that can change the momentum of the game in the stadium.' The attacking trio will be pushing for debuts against Arsenal, when goalkeeper Andre Onana is hoping to start after overcoming a hamstring injury sustained during a summer of speculation about his future. Asked if he will be United's number one this season, Amorim said: 'It's like the other players. Everyone has to win the place, so I'm not going to say if one player is number one. 'He's ready to go to the game. Let's wait. You will know Sunday.'
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Ruben Amorim outlines problem £74m Benjamin Sesko is already giving him at Man Utd
Manchester United face Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday with Benjamin Sesko having joined to be the club's new centre-forward - with the £74m Slovenian international having been a top target for the Gunners over the past 12 months When Manchester United host Arsenal on Sunday, Benjamin Sesko might well be wondering about what might have been. The £74million striker could make his debut for the Red Devils - but had things been different, he could well have been lining up for Mikel Arteta's title hopefuls. Sesko eventually moved to the Premier League earlier this month from RB Leipzig, becoming the third expensive forward signed by the Red Devils this summer, after £62.5m Matheus Cunha and £71m Bryan Mbeumo. It is that attack on which Ruben Amorim is pinning United's hopes of a much-improved campaign. But at the start of summer, the 22-year-old was No.1 on Arsenal's list of striker targets. However, the Gunners eventually pulled out of a move, baulking at the total cost it would have taken to get him to north London, when taking into account the player's transfer fee, salary and agents' costs. Eventually they settled on a player Amorim knows extremely well, and who had been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, Viktor Gyokeres. "Viktor is in a different league," came Amorim's reply when asked about the Swede - who scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting Lisbon before his £64m move to the Emirates - at his pre-match press conference on Friday. "Sporting have good scouting because they live from the players they can buy and sell to survive. "I think he's a very good player. It's not a surprise to see him with a big club in England." Whether they want to be or not, this summer's transfer window and the presence of Amorim as head coach at United means Sesko and Gyokeres will be inextricably linked throughout their time in the Premier League. In the months and potentially years to come, fans and pundits alike will almost certainly question who the winners and losers were in their respective deals: Was Arsenal's decision to not sign Sesko and push for Gyokeres right? Should United have signed the player their manager knows so well, rather than paying more on potential? For his part, Amorim isn't worried about his new No.30. The truth is United's scouting staff moved on Sesko - there have been claims that Gyokeres was left disappointed his former boss never came calling - because they see a player with a higher overall ceiling. And that's something which Amorim has, within a week, already been impressed by. 'I think he has great potential in everything he does,' said Amorim. 'He can play different types of football. He's going to feel that the Premier League is really aggressive, he's going to learn, but he has a great potential and I can see Ben being a striker for Manchester United for a lot of years. 'That's why we paid so much money - to have a striker that will have his history in our club. The guy is always thinking about football. He's really obsessed by that and that is a good thing because you don't have to think about that aspect with that young guy." That attitude however has left Amorim with a minor problem. Having grown frustrated by both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho since his arrival in England - ultimately jettisoning both within eight months of their first fallout provided the Argentine joins Chelsea before the month ends - Amorim wants Sesko to enjoy his business more. 'I don't need to tell Ben, 'this is Manchester United, a lot of pressure, you have to perform, you need to be ready for the physicality, we need to be ready for every game, it's like do-or-die'. With that guy, I have not that concern. I have the opposite, [he needs to] enjoy [himself] a little bit! 'He's listening, and he wants to perform, so that is really good.' Unlike most that have crossed his path since arriving in Manchester, pushing Sesko to enjoy himself while trying to reach his seemingly universally-agreed-upon potential is a nice problem for Amorim to have. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal star turned summer holiday into a world tour - until club told him to stop
Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday with Dutchman Jurrien Timber hoping some of his fitness work over the summer will pay off - despite the Gunners pulling the plug on some of his holiday plans Jurrien Timber turned his summer holiday into a world tour - until Arsenal told him to stay at home. The Dutch full-back's whistle-stop travel odyssey took him to Turkey, Curacao, Miami, Marbella and the Asian hinterlands and he grinned: 'I have seen the whole world in two months.' But the Gunners, who sent a fitness trainer with Timber on some of his overseas trips, stepped in and asked him to stop getting his passport stamped. On Sunday he joins Arsenal's latest crusade to go one better than runners-up in the last three seasons in an opening-day headline clash against Manchester United with his ankle problem healed and £200million of new team-mates to boost their charge. Timber explained: 'I had surgery at the end of last season, an ankle operation to take something out that was bothering me for a long time towards the of the season, but I feel good now. I could not sit still during the summer to get fit, so I went to a lot of nice places. At the same time I was doing rehab. I have been to Turkey and Curacao, where my mum is from. I went with the family which was nice. 'I went to Miami for a couple of days and also Marbella. It was good - and I went to Asia, of course. I have seen the whole world in two months. Someone was with me from the club and I had more places to go, but the club said, 'That is too much!' 'At the beginning I was on crutches so I could not do much, but when I was off crutches I had someone with me.' Timber's mobility and versatility made him a vital component of the Premier League 's meanest defence last season - just 34 goals shipped in 38 games, seven fewer than champions Liverpool. The Gunners will need to be miserly again over the next nine months and Timber admitted: 'I did not realise that had the best record. We know we were defending well and doing well as a unit but we were focusing on ourselves. We have a lot of good defenders and we defend with the whole team. The amount of defenders we have at the back, the competition is amazing and it makes each other better.' Arsenal's first six league games include dates with United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle - and there is a perception that their title challenge will be defined before the end of September. Timber said: 'It is a tough beginning, isn't it? But I think last season we also had a tough start last season and it can go both ways. If you start well, it can be amazing. That is the challenge. But I think we also need to have that approach of it being another game we need to win. That is the best way to approach it. "Arsenal have shown the last couple of years already that we will always be fighting for the title. And every year they are trying to strengthen the squad, this summer as well. We have an amazing group and a group to do amazing things. You can tell we are close, it is just that last step. 'There is nothing more you can do than just go for it and fight for it all the way. We have the manager for it, we have the team for it, we have the club for it. That is the reason why everyone is so excited to start again. Give it all because we know we have the chance. "I think everyone's expecting a lot from them this season. Chelsea are looking amazing and there are so many good teams, it is going to be tough for sure. 'That's why it is so important to focus on ourselves and believe in what we can do. We can't look at too many teams and what is happening around the league. I don't think that would be good for us or for anyone.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
