Man Utd 1-1 Fulham (AET: 3-4 pens): Match report & 3 talking points from FA Cup tussle | OneFootball

Manchester United's season of woe continued as they were dumped out of the FA Cup fifth round by Fulham at Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim's Red Devils weren't able to come out on top of a penalty shootout, like they had done in the third round against Arsenal, and succumbed 4-3 after the game had finished 1-1 after 120 minutes of regulation play.

Calvin Bassey gave Fulham the lead from a corner just before half-time, with the scores levelled up in the second half by Bruno Fernandes. Neither side could find another breakthrough, leading to Bernd Leno heroics from 12 yards out.

How the game unfolded

If there was ever an occasion for Amorim's Manchester United to awaken from their slumber, you'd have hoped an FA Cup fifth round tie at Old Trafford would do the trick – potentially the club's only viable vehicle to securing European football next season.

But scripts involving the 13-time Premier League champions aren't written in the same way anymore, particularly when it comes to fast starts or any kind of first half quality.

Rasmus Hojlund's close-range effort – fired over the crossbar from outside of the front post after Christian Eriksen's low cross – was about as good as it got for United in the first 45, with the Red Devils instead left clutching at a semi-positive dynamic on the left between Eriksen, who played further forward, and Diogo Dalot.

Fulham grew into the game as the half wore on, getting their foot on the ball more and more, and perhaps should have scored the first goal of the match when Sasa Lukic got his timing all wrong to head Alex Iwobi's centre wide.

That disappointment didn't last long, though, as an inevitable lapse in United concentration from a Fulham corner allowed Bassey to open the scoring. Rodrigo Muniz drifted away from his marker with ease and his flicked header was turned home at the back post by the former Ajax defender, who reacted far quicker than Noussair Mazraoui to flick the ball past Andre Onana.

Amorim had made four substitutions, including the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho, before United woke up and realised they had a cup tie to get back into. Typically, it was Fernandes who provided the moment of quality with 20 minutes remaining, expertly firing Dalot's low cross into the far corner without taking a first touch.

United looked brighter with the injection of Garnacho's pace, but neither he nor Fulham's Emile Smith Rowe, who drew a fingertip save from Onana, could prevent the game from going an extra 30 minutes.

Garnacho fired into Leno's side-netting as extra-time got underway before Chido Obi drew a fine stop from the German – his fingertips this time denying United the lead. At the other end, Ryan Sessegnon, another substitute, forced Onana to come to the rescue of the hosts.

In the end, penalties were needed to decide who would go through to the last eight – Fulham eventually prevailing thanks to Leno's denial of Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee.

Amorim needs the season to end - now

Ruben Amorim took up his usual exasperated crouched pose / Carl Recine/GettyImages

The end of the 2024/25 season can't come quick enough for Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim has known that from pretty much the first day he took charge, but even he must be astonished by how United have seemingly gone backwards under his tutelage rather than forwards.

For the umpteenth time, United's performance first half performance was tepid, lacklustre and just outright bad. They created next to nothing and dozed off when it really mattered to fall behind on the stroke of half-time.

Missing a number of players because of injury, United had very little to choose from on the bench – another reason why this campaign can't end quickly enough. Amorim needs that summer transfer window open to be flung open, perhaps more than any manager in the world.

Fulham the better football team of the two

Marco Silva's Fulham have enjoyed a super season / Carl Recine/GettyImages

This wasn't an exemplary Fulham performance by any stretch of the imagination, in what is turning out to be a very impressive season.

But if you hadn't watched much of Marco Silva's side this season prior to the game, it wouldn't have taken long to get up to speed about what they're all about. Organised, committed and united, with that sprinkle of determination needed to succeed at the highest level.

They have quality players in their ranks – Muniz, Antonee Robinson and Emile Smith Rowe to name just three – and evidently have a style of play that they've worked on in training and honed. The exact opposite of what they were facing.

Getting the job done away from home should be no surprise given Fulham have the third-best points per game record of any team in the Premier League, only behind Liverpool and Arsenal.

Bruno Fernandes can't be only provider to isolated Hojlund

Rasmus Hojlund was very isolated at times / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

Poor Rasmus Hojlund has now gone 18 games without scoring a goal and, barring one half-chance in the opening 12 minutes, that didn't look likely to change against Fulham.

The Dane was disconnected from the disappointing Joshua Zirkzee for large parts of the game, tustling with Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey while his other United teammates lagged around 10 to 15 yards behind the play.

Hojlund did look to make runs into the channels, at least some offering some variation to his own individual game, but his confidence looks completely shot. The only player capable of providing any kind of quality service is Bruno Fernandes, but he was stuffed into a deep-lying midfield role for the entire time that the 22-year-old was on the pitch.

Inevitably, Fernandes scored as soon as Hojlund went off. Football, eh?

Check out full player ratings from Man Utd 1-1 Fulham here.