Amad has an astonishing story himself so it seemed right for him to seal victory (and then get sent off) for Manchester United against Liverpool in this FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.
United ended Liverpool’s hopes of winning four trophies with a 4-3 victory after extra time and will have brought some relief to their manager Erik ten Hag.
Advertisement
After normal time ended 2-2 following a late equaliser from United winger Antony, Marcus Rashford scored to make up for an earlier glaring miss following Harvey Elliott’s extra-time strike for Liverpool.
Amad’s late finish, followed by a second yellow card for taking his shirt off while celebrating his goal, was the final moment of a ridiculous match.
United will face Coventry City in the semi-final and Manchester City will play Chelsea.
The Athletic’s James Pearce, Dan Sheldon and Mark Carey analyse all the action from Old Trafford.
Time to stop overlooking Amad?
Amad has finally had his moment in a United shirt after signing in October 2020 for a fee that, with add-ons, was worth £37.5million ($47.8m at today’s rates).
He arrived in January 2021 but was never given a chance, and found himself sent out on loan to Rangers and Sunderland. He did well at both clubs, winning the award for Sunderland’s young player of the season.
Even this season has been a struggle for Amad, who injured his knee in pre-season and was sidelined until December.
United fans have been questioning why Ten Hag hasn’t been playing him in recent weeks and after his cameo against Liverpool, it will be hard for the Dutchman to keep overlooking him.
Amad played with intensity when he replaced Raphael Varane in the 85th minute, constantly pressing Liverpool’s defenders and looking to make things happen.
He received a needless yellow card for blocking a Liverpool free kick and then a second yellow for taking his top off to celebrate, but that won’t get in the way of his winner in front of the Stretford End to send United into the FA Cup semi-final.
Dan Sheldon
How did Liverpool let it slip?
As Virgil van Dijk led his team-mates over to the away end after the final whistle, they looked as shell-shocked as the 9,000 Liverpool fans in front of them.
Liverpool’s hopes of winning four trophies are over. There will be no FA Cup final appearance as part of Klopp’s emotional farewell in May.
This was a classic but Liverpool only had themselves to blame for bowing out. The wounds were self-inflicted.
Advertisement
Game management let them down badly after leading 2-1 with three minutes left in normal time and then 3-2 with eight minutes to go in extra time. As can be seen from the graphic below, they dominated possession but allowed United to create high-quality goalscoring chances, reflected in their expected goals (xG) of 3.4.
They will be full of regrets — not least the array of opportunities wasted on the counter-attack in the second half when they really should have killed off the tie. Their wastefulness left the door open and United took full advantage.
Darwin Nunez gave the ball away cheaply in the build-up to Rashford’s equaliser and then United’s dramatic late winner came from Liverpool’s corner. They left themselves badly exposed and paid the price.
It was out of keeping with how Liverpool have performed this season. They must focus their efforts on targeting Premier League and Europa League glory to add to their Carabao Cup triumph.
James Pearce
Why did United attack down left?
From the opening minutes, United’s attacking intent was clear — target the left flank.
Rashford’s pace means they will always be a threat in wide areas, but United were creating overloads in the early stages, with Kobbie Mainoo supporting Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho drifting over from the right wing to get in on the action himself.
With Mohamed Salah not doing enough to support his full-back defensively, United looked to repeatedly punish Liverpool — isolating Joe Gomez, dragging him across, and exposing the gaps opened up.
As can be seen from the graphic above, 53 per cent of United’s attacking touches were targeted down their left third of the pitch. For context, they have only once looked towards that flank more in all competitions this season — in last month’s 3-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League.
Advertisement
Ten Hag’s changes in the second half meant Garnacho was then the protagonist on the left for a long period, while Liverpool’s substitutions meant they too had different personnel to defend.
Nevertheless, the relentlessness of United’s lopsided attacking approach was certainly by design rather than chance.
Mark Carey
Where did United lose control?
The home fans could hardly have asked for a better start.
Ten Hag’s side were dominating their biggest rivals and the cacophony of noise was spurring them on every time they ventured beyond the halfway line. Scott McTominay’s opener was the least they deserved from their opening 10 minutes.
Part of the reason for such early dominance was some great work from United’s midfield. With Casemiro out, McTominay partnered Mainoo in the middle of the park, supported by the ever-attacking Bruno Fernandes.
In the early stages, United were creating overloads (particularly on the left, as can be seen on the pass map below), keeping their discipline and piercing Liverpool on multiple occasions.
The difficulty was that such dominance was not sustained.
Liverpool regained a foothold in the game, but United let them. Where previously those distances between United’s midfielders were tight and contained, the gaps started to open up and Liverpool’s midfield could run off the back of Mainoo and McTominay to bear immediately down on United’s defence. Sound familiar?
They lacked the experience of Casemiro, but a porous midfield has been a theme across the whole of United’s season.
Liverpool dominated a lot of the play for long periods, but United fans will be pleased that the end to the game mirrored the start as they found a way to win.
Mark Carey
How has Quansah stepped up?
Liverpool were crying out for some inspiration as they trailed late on in the first half at Old Trafford. It arrived from an unlikely source.
After assessing his options 30 yards out from goal, academy graduate Jarell Quansah spotted some space to exploit and decided to take matters into his own hands. The 21-year-old defender showed his pace and strength as he burst away from Rashford and into the penalty box.
Quansah then had the composure to pick the right option as he rolled the ball into the feet of Nunez, whose lay-off was converted by Alexis Mac Allister via a deflection off Mainoo.
What a season it’s been for the England Under-21s international, who has been on the club’s books since the age of five. Rewind to last July and he was expecting to go out on loan again after a productive spell at League One outfit Bristol Rovers in the second half of last season.
An impressive pre-season saw him force his way into Klopp’s plans as he effectively began the campaign as Liverpool’s fifth-choice centre-back. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to have clocked up 25 senior appearances by mid-March.
He has grasped the opportunities that have come his way, ensuring that Liverpool have flourished despite injuries to Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.
His master-apprentice double act with Van Dijk has worked a treat. Quansah is technically gifted and he’s got the character and temperament to go with it. Nothing fazes him.
Advertisement
A week after keeping Manchester City’s Erling Haaland quiet, he shone after getting his first taste of the white-hot Liverpool vs United rivalry. Another box ticked on his remarkable journey.
James Pearce
Where has this United intensity been?
Manchester United came flying out of the blocks and reached an energy level that has evaded them all season.
From an attacking sense, they had Liverpool on the ropes and should have been 2-0 up, but McTominay missed a relatively straightforward opportunity to double his tally.
United had seven shots on target in the opening 45 minutes but were again undone by Liverpool’s speed on the transition, where they took advantage of the home side’s midfield going missing when they turned over possession.
Manchester United had seven shots on target in the first half against Liverpool.
Since 2006-07, United have only had more attempts on target in the first 45 of a match in any competition twice (vs Norwich City in October 2019, and vs Burton Albion in September 2017). pic.twitter.com/tcNabRTaai
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 17, 2024
Some attacks broke down due to incorrect decisions being made. One of these included a counter led by McTominay. He opted to pass to Rasmus Hojlund, who was being covered by Liverpool’s defence, instead of playing the ball to Garnacho on the right.
Garnacho created an opportunity for Hojlund inside the area, but the Denmark international slipped as he took his shot. In terms of missed opportunities, though, few could beat the chance Rashford put wide in the dying moments of normal time that would have won the tie.
Dan Sheldon
How important is Mainoo to United?
Mainoo was left out of this month’s England squad, but if he continues his current run of form, then it won’t be long before he receives a call from Gareth Southgate.
He started the game as he meant to go on, linking up with Aaron Wan-Bissaka to create a chance in the opening exchanges.
The United midfielder displayed his exquisite footwork once again, dribbling past Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez before Rashford took possession during the first half. Mainoo, 18, made it look simple, yet it was anything but easy.
He continues to be the bright spark of a mostly disappointing season at United, showing quality in attack and defence. His last contribution was to make a sliding tackle inside the United box to deny Elliott a shot on goal.
As Mainoo left the pinch, those inside Old Trafford stood to their feet and applauded. He responded by throwing his arms in the air to encourage them to dial up the atmosphere.
His performance alone wasn’t enough to get United the win, but he will no doubt lead his side to multiple victories in the coming years.
Dan Sheldon
What did the managers say?
Erik ten Hag said to ITV Sport: “The first 30 minutes was the best of our whole season, we were acting as a team but then we got gaps between the lines and you can’t allow this against one of the best teams in Europe. They outplayed us.
“Then we made changes, we took risks and the players were wonderful. The attitude was great, a strong belief to win this game.
Advertisement
“Rashford is resilient, he keeps going, normally he finishes those moments but he kept going for another chance. That inspired the other players.
“We have a team that is for the future. Coming up are players who are developing very well like (Amad) Diallo, (Alejandro) Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo.”
Jurgen Klopp said Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all sustained injuries in the defeat.
Diaz played 114 minutes of the game that went to extra time before being replaced for Bobby Clark. Nunez played the entire match, while Gakpo came on as a second-half substitute for Mohamed Salah.
Klopp said to BBC Sport: “Now, the boys go on international duty. We hope they come back healthy. Lucho (Diaz) felt his groin, Darwin (Nunez) hamstring. Cody (Gakpo) twisted his ankle. They play again in four or five days, it’s crazy. Hopefully we will finish the season in style.”
“The boys gave everything,” he added. “Our decision-making was not great. You have to accept the result. They deserve to go to the next round.”
What next for Manchester United?
Saturday, March 30: Brentford (A), Premier League, 8pm GMT, 4pm ET
McTominay was the hero for Manchester United in the reverse fixture, with his two goals in stoppage time securing a dramatic 2-1 victory for Ten Hag’s side.
What next for Liverpool?
Sunday, March 31: Brighton (H), Premier League, 2pm GMT, 10am ET
Liverpool were held when they faced Brighton at the Amex back in October. They will know they cannot afford to drop many more points now as the title race reaches the home straight.
(Top photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Recommended reading
- Why Manchester United might need more debt to rebuild Old Trafford
- Conor Bradley: How Liverpool’s new superstar was forged by Gaelic football and athletics
- ‘If I speak…,’ 10 years on – how Mourinho changed the way we talk about football
- Why are public complaints about refs up – and what are clubs’ motives for it?
(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)