I knew André Onana would save at least one penalty, says Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag

Manchester United avoided a major upset on Sunday as they beat Coventry City in the semi-final of the FA Cup to set up a final date with Manchester City next month.

The Red Devils took back to dressing room a 2-0 lead at half time, adding another third in the second half, before the Sky Blues came roaring back into the tie to level the game 3-3 in a space of 24 minutes.

In the ensuing extra time, Coventry almost completed the comeback at the death with a fourth goal, which was ultimately ruled out for the slimmest of offsides to take the game to penalties, which United won to settle the affair.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, United manager Erik ten Hag said that he was confident of his players’ shooting ability and his keeper’s stopping ability.

“I am always calm, I focus and know my players can shoot penalties. I’m always confident Andre [Onana] will catch minimum one.

“I was quite convinced but when the first is a mis-hit then you never know.”

This year’s FA Cup final is a repeat of last year’s tie, when City came out victorious 2-1 over United on their way to securing their historic treble. Whether we can get back at our domestic rivals for the defeat remains to be seen.

Up next for United is a mid-week Premier League affair against Sheffield United on Wednesday.

A shootout that should not have been

On Sunday, United showed their moderate capabilities as well as their near-absolute worst in a microcosmic display of their season.

It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that United did not deserve to win the tie at all, but as is the nature of the sport, sometimes you get things you don’t deserve, which stands true for both undeserving defeats and victories.

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Ten Hag’s post-game comments on the penalty shootout ring hollow especially on the back of what the footballing world witnessed his team perform on the pitch. If this is a sign of things to come, the United faithful are in for a rough last month of the season, which now includes a cup-final Manchester derby.