Manchester United overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Leicester City 2-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round match on Friday at Old Trafford, thanks to a goal from Joshua Zirkzee and a questionable header from veteran defender Harry Maguire. Maguire headed in the game-winning goal from Bruno Fernandes’ free kick in the 93rd minute, just seconds before the final whistle, just as it looked like the match was about to go into extra time.
According to United manager Ruben Amorim, “We played a little bit better, with a little more speed, winning second balls,” in the second half. “Then we managed to turn things around, so it was a good result, not a good performance.” The linesman did not raise his flag, and VAR is not utilized in the FA Cup until the fifth round, despite television replays showing Maguire appeared to be offside. Angry Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy responded, “We are not defeated in Fergie time; we are defeated in offside time,” when asked about losing in “Fergie” time, a term widely coined in reference to manager Alex Ferguson’s United sides consistently scoring in stoppage time.
Maguire heads Manchester United into FA Cup fifth round
In an attempt to find motivation, Amorim substituted Garnacho with debutant Patrick Dorgu at halftime, and the Argentina international menaced the Leicester defense right away. The lively Garnacho worked well down the left, and Zirkzee’s chip into an empty net for his fifth goal of the season resulted in United’s equalizer. It didn’t come until the 93rd minute, when Maguire left and Old Trafford exploded, but Amorim’s team appeared to have a better chance of winning.
Although the England defender looked to have been offside, there was no VAR in place at this point in the competition. When asked about losing in “Fergie time,” a term that was originally used to describe how United’s teams would often score in stoppage time under former manager Alex Ferguson, an angry van Nistelrooy responded, “We are defeated in offside time, not in Fergie time.”To determine that it was offside, VAR wasn’t required. You have a few centimeters and a few inches, VAR. In line, however, this was half a meter ahead. It’s a difficult one. We were entitled to additional time so that we could fight it out, possibly with penalties.
