Manchester United deny Brighton in shootout to set up FA Cup final with City

And Victor Lindelöf must score. And he does score. At the end of 120 nerve‑shredding minutes and seven rounds into the penalties, it came down to the Manchester United central defender versus Robert Sánchez, the Brighton goalkeeper.

The shadow of the 1983 FA Cup final had loomed large over this semi‑final; it was when Gordon Smith simply had to score for Brighton in the final minute of extra-time only he did not do so, allowing United to survive and win the replay. Now Lindelöf, who had enjoyed a fine game, a key component of an excellent United defensive effort, took his opportunity, steering his kick high into the net to set up a date with Manchester City in the final.

Brighton were broken, nobody more so than Solly March who had blasted the previous kick over the crossbar – the only miss of a shootout in which Jadon Sancho, on as a substitute, and Marcus Rashford scored for United. Both had missed here for England in the Euro 2020 final shootout defeat against Italy. The sheer bottle that each of them showed to slow as they reached the spot before firing home was extraordinary.

March was reduced to tears. The winger, a symbol of his club, did not deserve this. Not given how he had played here or how he has played throughout the best season of his career. None of the Brighton players deserved this after they had gone toe-to-toe with United throughout a gripping showpiece.

Their regrets took in a gilt-edged Danny Welbeck miss against his old club on 57 minutes and how Sánchez got his fingertips to the substitute Marcel Sabitzer’s penalty in the fifth round of the shootout; he could only help it in. That and their failure to beat David de Gea over the 120 minutes. The United goalkeeper made a clutch of fine saves – the