Five things we learnt as Man United fall to penalty shootout defeat to Fulham | OneFootball

Manchester United took on Fulham today looking to advance to the quarter final of the FA Cup.

Andre Onana once again started in goal as Altay Bayindir is still unavailable for selection.

Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt started in the back three with Diogo Dalot at left wing-back and Noussair Mazraoui replacing the suspended Patrick Dorgu.

Christian Eriksen came into the midfield to partner Manuel Ugarte, while Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee started just behind Rasmus Hojlund.

Here are five things we learnt from the match.

Patrick Dorgu was missed despite brave Diogo Dalot effort

The Dane only joined at the end of January but he has already impressed in his limited game time.

His dynamism and powerful running add so much to United’s left hand side that was badly missing versus Fulham today.

Dalot tried his best to get up and down the pitch but he simply lacks the athleticism to play in the wing-back role.

When he did get into dangerous attacking positions, he could not beat his man or his cross was dealt with rather easily by the Cottagers’ defence.

United fans will be glad that Dorgu will at least be available for the Europa League tie against Real Sociedad on Thursday.

To give credit to the 25 year old, he did grab an assist as he found Bruno Fernandes with a goal to set up the home side’s equaliser but he certainly won’t threaten Dorgu’s starting spot on the left hand side for the foreseeable future.

His attacking effort certainly impressed more than his right-sided counterpart Mazraoui however, so perhaps he has cemented his place on the right once Dorgu’s suspension ends.

Set piece weakness again

The Red Devils have improved lately at defending set pieces and have also started to score a lot more from them.

Nonetheless, United fans were dealt a cruel reminder at the very end of the first half that they have not yet banished their set piece demons.

On the stroke of half-time, United’s defence switched off and Bassey was left free to flick home Fulham’s opener after Amorim’s side had probably just edged the first half.

The Red Devils are improving at dealing with corners and free kicks but they must fix their wafer-like mentality if they are to make any meaningful progress under Amorim, or in fact, any manager. Bruno Fernandes’ magic relationship with the cup continues

The Portuguese is often labelled a talisman for United and this is incredibly obvious in the FA Cup.

He scored in the third round and assisted in the fourth and he grabbed an equaliser out of nothing in the fifth round match today.

Fernandes has been recently criticised for his captaincy by pundit Roy Keane but most United fans could not disagree more with the obsession former players and critics seem to have with cheapening Fernandes’ contribution to this United side.

His excellent strike was only the latest example of the influence he exerts on Amorim’s team.

De Ligt pressing from defence worked well

De Ligt has faced his fair share of critics since arriving to English shores but most United fans have certainly taken to his blood and thunder approach to the game.

The Dutchman was solid in defence and also impressed pressing from the back.

The former Ajax man frequently ventured into midfield to win the ball back high up the pitch which not only alleviated pressure but also resulted in a couple of dangerous moments for the home side.

His game was characterised in the second half of extra time when he completed a sensational last ditch tackle to the delight of the Old Trafford crowd.

Chido Obi making a case to start

The teenager was only making his third appearance for the Red Devils off the bench, but this is the game where he really made his mark.

The youngster impressed in numerous ways with elegant touches of the ball, fighting hard off it and also threatening the Fulham defence in a way Hojlund struggled to.

Obi could have easily scored a couple of goals but he was denied by the experienced Fulham shotstopper and he certainly made a major mark on the match.

Despite his tender age, it is becoming harder to justify why the ineffective Hojlund should be starting ahead of the youngster signed from Arsenal last year.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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