- Torp thought he had completed Coventry’s miraculous comeback late in extra time
- But VAR found Wright was offside by the slimmest of margins to spare United
- If Erik ten Hag wins the FA Cup with Man United, does he deserve to keep his job? Listen to the It all starts podcast
Manchester United fans who left Wembley in shock and disgust when Victor Torp scored Coventry City’s ‘winner’ were filmed making a hasty U-turn as the match was ruled out for offside.
The Sky Blues thought they had completed a 3-0 turnaround when Torp scored in the closing stages of extra time in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final.
That prompted more than a few irate United fans to make a hasty exit from Wembley Way.
But when VAR found that Haji Wright, who had set up Torp, had strayed offside by the slimmest of margins, quite a few turned back to try and get back into the stadium to watch the penalty shoot-out that United eventually won.
A video posted by Tom Goward on
A video shows Manchester United fans leaving Wembley in disgust after Victor Torp’s ‘winner’ for Coventry City tried to race back in when VAR didn’t allow it
Victor Torp thought he had scored the winner for Coventry against United in the 121st minute
VAR ruled that Coventry’s extra-time winner against Manchester United in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final was marginally offside (photo: VAR decision system replays incident)
The Red Devils advanced to the FA Cup final on penalties, ensuring a repeat of last year’s showpiece
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It’s unlikely they could get back in, but anyone who did witnessed Erik ten Hag’s men complete a lucky escape by winning 4-2 on penalties to set a final date against Man City on May 25.
On an afternoon of rollercoaster emotions, United surged into a three-goal lead over their Championship opponents thanks to Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
But Erik ten Hag’s team unforgivably let that lead slip away, as goals from Ellis Simms, Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright forced extra time.
As penalties loomed, Torp ran on to beat Andre Onana and spark frenzied celebrations in the Coventry half of Wembley.
However, they were aborted when VAR officials discovered Wright had strayed just past Aaron Wan-Bissaka into an offside position before crossing for Torp to score.
In the shoot-out, Coventry captain Ben Sheaf sent the decisive kick over the bar for United striker Rasmus Hojlund to complete the win.
“If he had clipped his toenails we wouldn’t have been talking about penalties,” Coventry boss Mark Robins said of Wright afterwards.
‘Our performance will be talked about for a long time. We’re disappointed, but we can’t be too down about it. We performed like Manchester United in the last hour of the match and I am proud of that.’