Late Strike by Amad Diallo Seals Thrilling FA Cup Victory for Manchester United over Liverpool

In a thrilling FA Cup encounter at Old Trafford, Manchester United secured a memorable victory with goals from Scott McTominay, Antony, Marcus Rashford, and Amad Diallo. The match was a rollercoaster affair as Liverpool, the reigning Carabao Cup champions, appeared to be on course for victory on two occasions. However, United showed great resilience, equalizing in the final moments of regulation time before going on to score twice in extra time. This comeback effectively nullified a goal by Harvey Elliott and sealed an unforgettable win for United.

“The first 35 minutes I think was the best minutes from our season,” United manager Erik ten Hag told the ITV broadcast after the game. “We were really there, acting as a team. But then gaps in between the lines and you can’t allow this against Liverpool. Then they outplay you.

“We had to change. We went into the risk, we went into one against one, and the players were wonderful - the mentality, the attitude was so great.”

Klopp expressed his frustration over his team's missed opportunities, acknowledging that the match slipped away from his grasp.

“At 2-1 up we had so many chances to kill the game. Last pass not right, or in a rush in some moments. The rest is already history, if you want,” Klopp said after the game.

“We were nearly there in normal time and nearly there in extra-time and then we lose the game, that’s alright. I cannot ask for much more. We have had a much more intense season so far, everybody knows that, you just have to count the games. Today was hard, very hard.”

The game kicked off with an exhilarating pace, as Manchester United tested Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who was standing in for the injured Alisson, early on. Dominik Szoboszlai also had a chance for Liverpool but was denied by United's goalkeeper Andre Onana within the first 10 minutes. However, it was United who had the advantage in the fast-paced start and capitalized on their early pressure. Scott McTominay broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the game, tapping in the rebound after Alejandro Garnacho's shot was saved by Kelleher.

As the match progressed, Klopp's Liverpool side grew into the game and started causing problems for United in their attacking efforts to find an equalizer. Wataru Endo appeared to have leveled the scoreline in the 38th minute, but his goal was disallowed due to Mohamed Salah being marginally offside in the buildup. Nonetheless, Liverpool did manage to break through a few minutes later, albeit with a stroke of luck. Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, assisted by Darwin Núñez, unleashed a shot that deflected heavily off Kobbie Mainoo, leaving Onana unable to prevent the ball from finding the back of the net.

Just before halftime, Darwin Núñez was denied by a desperate save from Andre Onana, but the ball fell kindly to Mohamed Salah, who fired it into the net, completing a swift turnaround for Liverpool.

Carrying their positive momentum into the second half, Liverpool maintained control of the game with an intense tempo. Onana made two saves to deny Núñez, while Alexis Mac Allister's free kick sailed over the bar as Klopp's team continued to dominate. As the game progressed, United winger Antony, who came on as a substitute, had a rare venture forward but dragged his effort wide.

Liverpool relentlessly piled on the pressure and had a golden opportunity to secure victory in the 80th minute with a five-on-two counter-attack. However, they squandered the chance, failing to put the game beyond doubt.

Despite dominating the game for much of the duration, Liverpool paid the price for their profligacy in front of goal when, in the 87th minute, Manchester United launched a swift attack that ended with Antony finding the back of the net with his right foot, equalizing the score at 2-2. Liverpool almost immediately responded, with Harvey Elliott striking the post at the other end, while Marcus Rashford missed a golden opportunity to secure victory for United in the final minute of regulation time.

The game entered an evenly contested extra time period, where luck favored Liverpool as Elliott's long-range strike deflected off Christian Eriksen's boot and found the bottom corner, sending the visiting fans into jubilation as they took the lead.

However, in a match as frantic as this, no lead was ever truly safe. United proved this in the second half of extra time when Rashford made amends for his earlier miss, scoring to level the scoreline at 3-3. Then, in the dying seconds of the game, substitute Amad Diallo spearheaded a counter-attack and calmly finished past Kelleher, securing a memorable victory for the Red Devils in what will be remembered as an unforgettable FA Cup encounter.

Despite his crucial late-game heroics, Amad Diallo's celebration, which involved removing his shirt, led to him receiving a second yellow card and being sent off. However, his actions are likely to be forgiven given the significance of his contribution to the match.

In the FA Cup semifinals, Manchester United will face English Championship side Coventry City. The other semifinal will witness an all-Premier League clash between Manchester City and Chelsea. Both Manchester City and Chelsea secured their spots in the semis by defeating Newcastle United and Leicester City respectively over the weekend.

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