Getty Image / Paul Ellis
For about 20 minutes today, it looked like there was going to be a big upset in the FA Cup.
Fulham headed to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the English competition.
United entered the match as one of the favorites to win the competition in the midst of a season where they currently find themselves in 3rd place in the Premier League.
Early in the 2nd half, it looked like things wouldn’t go according to plan for Man U.
In the 50th minute, Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored to put Fulham ahead 1-0.
That score held for the next 20 minutes before disaster struck for Fulham.
A VAR review determined that Willian had handled a ball at the goal line for the visiting team and he was promptly red carded while United was awarded a penalty kick.
Mitrovic was not happy with the decision and ended up earning himself a red card while arguing the call.
Then Marco Silva followed in the footsteps of his two players and was sent off as well.
72' – 🟥 Willian
72' – 🟥 Mitrovic
72' – 🟥 Marco SilvaFULHAM GOT A TRIPLE RED IN 60 SECONDS 😱 pic.twitter.com/gCITmlkl66
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 19, 2023
Everything fell apart for Fulham after that sequence of events.
Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty to equalize the match for United.
Two minutes later, they took the lead when Marcel Sabitzer found the back of the net.
Playing with a two-man advantage, that goal just about put the match away, but they decided to add one more for good measure.
Fernandes scored another goal in the 96th minute to give Man U a 3-1 lead and ensure they’d be heading to the FA Cup semi-final.
Manchester United will be the visiting team for the next round as they’ll head to Brighton at the end of April to fight for a spot in the final.
That match will almost certainly see fewer red cards than this one.