After losing 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, Fulham captain Aleksandar Mitrovic was dismissed for assaulting the referee, setting up a fascinating FA Cup semi-final matchup between Manchester United and Brighton.
As he rammed into Chris Kavanagh after a VAR review for Willian’s handball on the line, Mitrovic received one of three red cards for Fulham in a matter of seconds.
Together with Fulham manager Marco Silva on the sidelines, the Brazilian was also fired.
Bruno Fernandes scored twice for United, and Marcel Sabitzer scored his first goal for the team to keep Erik ten Hag’s team on track for a triple of cup victories.
As Mitrovic gave the Cottagers the lead early in the second half, they were on track to make it to the final four for the first time in 21 years.
Before the match entirely shifted on one incident 18 minutes from the end, United needed goalkeeper David de Gea to make a spectacular stop to prevent the Serbian from getting a second chance.
Jadon Sancho’s attempt was deflected aside by Willian using his hand, averting a certain goal.
Kavanagh first just offered a corner, but after seeing the replay, he changed his mind, causing a commotion.
First to receive a red card for approaching the official close to the VAR monitor was Silva.
Following Willian’s dismissal, Mitrovic was given the harshest punishment for elbowing the referee and tangling with Kavanagh.
On the penalty spot, Fernandes calmly sent Bernd Leno the wrong way to tie the score.
As soon as United had a two-man advantage, Luke Shaw passed the ball for Sabitzer to score with a flick.
When Fernandes scored in the sixth minute of extra time to send United to Wembley on April 23, he delivered the decisive punch.
Earlier, a 5-0 demolition of League Two Grimsby ended their hopes of visiting Wembley.
Grimsby, a fourth-tier team, created history by defeating five teams from higher levels en route to the quarterfinals.
Yet the class of in-form Brighton, who are vying for the team’s first major title ever, caught Paul Hirst’s players off guard.
When Deniz Undav scored for the Seagulls in the first six minutes, the floodgates appeared to be about to open.
Before halftime, Grimsby managed to contain the damage, but in the second half, they ran out of gas.
Evan Ferguson scored twice and had a third goal disallowed for offside by video assistant review.
In the final ten minutes, Brighton’s free-scoring wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March added insult to Grimsby’s injury.
Sheffield United defeated Blackburn 3-2 with a shocking injury-time goal from City loanee Tommy Doyle, setting up a semifinal matchup against Manchester City.
In the race to earn an automatic promotion spot to the Premier League for the upcoming season, the Blades lead Blackburn by nine points.
Nonetheless, Rovers prevailed in the first meeting between the two teams two weeks prior, and the visitors twice held the lead at Bramall Lane.
The goal was scored from the penalty spot by Ben Brereton Diaz after Sam Gallagher’s shot struck Jack Robinson’s outstretched arm.
The advantage was only temporary, as on minute 27, Gallagher scored on his own goal after deflecting a long range shot from Max Lowe.
On the hour, Sam Szmodics’ composed finish allowed Blackburn to regain the lead.
Nevertheless, nine minutes from time, Oli McBurnie shot in from a tight angle before Doyle blasted a long shot into the top corner.
On Saturday, City advanced to the semifinals with a 6-0 thrashing of the league’s top-ranked Burnley.
Erling Haaland scored his second hat-trick in five days, giving him six for the year, keeping City in contention for a triple crown.
