Manchester United 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion

Romelu Lukaku scored his twelfth goal in 11 FA Cup video games as an uninspired Manchester United beat Brighton to reach the semi-finals.

Lukaku headed in a necessary-half disappear from Nemanja Matic, who sealed victory unhurried on when he nodded in Ashley Younger’s free-kick.

Victory maintained realistic United hopes of a trophy after Tuesday’s Champions League elimination by Sevilla, as neatly as their portray of no longer having conceded a goal on this season’s FA Cup.

But Jose Mourinho’s aspect struggled by device of the second half, as Brighton had quite rather a lot of probabilities to power extra-time previous to Matic at final build the tie to mattress.

Dwelling followers, angry in regards to the unadventurous performance in defeat by Sevilla, was an increasing number of tetchy as the game wore on.

Jurgen Locadia, Brighton’s £14m portray signing, had 4 probabilities to equalise, with goalkeeper Sergio Romero saving the foremost two previous to the Dutchman headed over wastefully from Solly March’s disappear.

He then had a shot blocked by Chris Smalling, who had hit the post for United previous to Lukaku’s goal.

Mourinho’s ‘heritage’ gamers come across him by device of

« Someday, when I’m going away, the following Manchester United manager will to find here Lukaku, Matic, clearly De Gea from decades in the past. They can to find gamers with a particular mentality, positive, background, with a particular space, knowhow. »

Within the midst of an out of the ordinary 12-minute defence of his United portray on Friday, in which he referred repeatedly to « football heritage », Mourinho talked about two outfield signings as proof that he has improved the crew since his arrival in Might per chance presumably per chance additionally just 2016.

He might presumably per chance, then, hang felt some satisfaction that Lukaku and Matic had been the gamers whose dreams took United to April’s Wembley semi-finals. After all, there was as soon as cramped else for him to be relaxed about.

Lukaku’s opener – affirming his portray of having scored in each and every spherical of this season’s FA Cup – came at a just time for United; Brighton had just loved a sustained spell of possession.

He got in in the lend a hand of Lewis Dunk to ranking from a necessary Matic disappear for his twenty fifth club goal of the season – despite the very fact that there was as soon as a key feature played too by Luke Shaw, a Louis van Gaal signing. The left-lend a hand ran at Solly March, pinning lend a hand the winger, previous to laying lend a hand into pickle for Matic to play the ball in.

But Shaw’s feature in the goal was as soon as no longer enough to withhold him on the pitch beyond half-time. Mourinho, who has been necessary repeatedly of the left-lend a hand, decided to relate on Younger for the second half.

Younger supplied the lend a hand for the second goal, headed in by Matic, from what was as soon as United’s simplest effort on goal in the second half.

Sanchez drops out – to cramped accept

Mourinho’s response to Tuesday’s defeat was as soon as to originate five changes – the most considerable of which was as soon as to plunge January signing Alexis Sanchez to the bench.

Paul Pogba was as soon as also left among the substitutes; a mark of how disenchanted Mourinho has been with the £89m club-portray signing of unhurried.

The changes had small affect. United’s play, for lengthy spells, was as soon as as pedestrian as it had been against Sevilla, and Mourinho declared himself unimpressed by the performance afterwards.

Brighton’s decision to protect deep for mighty of the foremost half resulted in United spending lengthy spells passing the ball sideways across the pitch, almost for the sake of it.

Scott McTominay, a midfielder who has been spectacular since being promoted from the formative years state-up, did no longer hang a just night, with Mourinho necessary of him for giving the ball away too customarily.

When the guests adopted a more formidable come after half-time, United began to hang a study very wobbly; had Locadia been more ruthless in front of goal, a well-known night might presumably per chance additionally hang develop into very awkward.

Seagulls surprise what might presumably per chance need been

Brighton manager Chris Hughton’s decision to transfer away high scorer Glenn Murray on the bench against Coventry in the fifth spherical was as soon as justified – it gave Locadia and Leonardo Ulloa invaluable recreation time, and both scored.

At Mature Trafford, Hughton’s decision was as soon as harder to know, and he might presumably per chance need been left wondering if resting Murray precipitated Brighton to disappear over their likelihood of a necessary FA Cup semi-final since 1983.

Most attention-grabbing Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah hang scored more Premier League dreams in 2018 than the Cumbrian, who needed to accept a 14-minute cameo as an different against United.

The manager might presumably per chance additionally argue that Premier League survival is the precedence, however alongside with his aspect on 34 factors, they’re unquestionably already within stare of safety.

Because it grew to develop into out, Brighton had been bigger than ready to hang a disappear. An early willingness to protect deep continuously gave formula to a more offensive come; even previous to United scored, neatly-behaved-lend a hand Ezequiel Schelotto was as soon as alive to to accept forward, while centre-lend a hand Dunk examined Romero with a header from a nook.

Within the second half, Brighton had 12 efforts at goal to United’s one. Aside from for Locadia’s 4 probabilities, the guests also very almost equalised when Pascal Putrid urged a interesting inswinging shot just large with the outdoor of the boot quickly after the destroy, and the German midfielder was as soon as discontinuance twice more unhurried on.

The foremost of these unhurried probabilities was as soon as state up by Murray, whose introduction – sadly for Brighton – came too unhurried to permit him to repeat his feat of rounds three and 4, when he scored winners to come to a decision Hughton’s aspect by device of.

« I was as soon as gratified with the performance, » acknowledged Hughton. « The most easy inequity had been the moments in front of goal and the positive they are going to accept.

« Regards being a goal risk, I believed we had plenty across the box and we had been as mountainous a goal risk as they had been. They had more possession which that you just can quiz. We had been always in the game. »

Man of the match – Nemanja Matic (Man Utd)

Mourinho ends 11-year FA Cup wait – the foremost stats

• Jose Mourinho has reached the FA Cup semi-final stage for the foremost time since 2007 when managing Chelsea.
• Mourinho has won 15 of his 17 home FA Cup matches (D1 L1), winning all three with Manchester United by an mixture ranking of 12-0.
• Chris Hughton, meanwhile, has managed five away matches at Mature Trafford in all competitions and lost all five with out seeing his sides ranking a single goal.
• Romelu Lukaku has scored 12 dreams in his final 11 FA Cup appearances – the most easy match he failed to ranking in of these 11 video games was as soon as against Man Utd for Everton in the semi-final in April 2016.
• Lukaku has been without prolong pondering about 14 dreams in his 14 appearances in 2018 (10 dreams, 4 assists).
• Indeed, the Belgian striker has either scored or assisted in each and every of his final five appearances for Manchester United.
• Nemanja Matic has both scored and assisted in a recreation for the foremost time since August 2014 for Chelsea against Everton.

What’s next?

Manchester United’s Premier League season resumes after the international destroy with a home recreation against Swansea on Saturday, 31 March (15:00 BST); Brighton host Leicester on the identical time.