Match Preview
Manchester United v Fulham
Emirates FA Cup 5th Round 2425 at Old Trafford
Sunday 2nd March 2025 KO: 16:30
Referee:
Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Live on: BBC One
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Fulham vie for a spot in the FA Cup quarter finals with fellow top-flight outfit Manchester United, who are the current holders, at 16.30 on Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford.
The Cottagers narrowly bested former winners Wigan Athletic 2-1 in the Fourth Round while United controversially progressed past Leicester City 2-1 by the same scoreline.
Fulham go in search of their first-ever FA Cup triumph; reaching the 1975 final remains their best result in the tournament.
Marco Silva's men have every right to be considered dark horses for the 2024-25 title and have already seen off Watford and 2012-13 winners Wigan to earn a date with the holders, as Rodrigo Muniz was at the double against the Latics last time out.
Muniz had the final say in midweek, as his cheeky chip propelled the Cottagers to a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, their fourth win from five in all tournaments.
Firmly involved in the race for Europe in the top half of the Premier League standings, Silva's side also arrive at the Theatre of Dreams with a knack for success on the road, winning each of their last four matches away from home and scoring twice in each of their last seven.
In fact, the last team to prevent Fulham from finding the back of the net on rival turf was Man United themselves in the opening weekend of the 2024-25 Premier League season, since when they have also edged out Silva's side 1-0 at Craven Cottage and memorably beat the Cottagers in a chaotic 2022-23 FA Cup quarter-final.
The ground where the 'Fergie time' phenomenon was coined became the site of 'offside time' as Ruud van Nistelrooy put it, as the erstwhile Man United striker and manager was left to bemoan the absence of technology in Leicester's unjust FA Cup exit at Old Trafford.
A Bobby Decordova-Reid opener and Joshua Zirkzee reply had the fourth-round battle on February 7 heading towards extra time, only for former Foxes centre-back Harry Maguire to peel away from his marker and head home a bedlam-inducing winner from an offside position.
No VAR meant no overturning the linesman's incorrect original call, but there was nothing controversial about Maguire's latest act of heading heroism, as the £80m man capped off a gritty Red Devils fightback in a 3-2 Premier League success over Ipswich Town in midweek.
However, Amorim's out-of-sorts men had taken just one point from their previous three top-flight games prior to that nervy triumph - a dismal streak that has them 14th in the standings - and retaining their FA Cup crown is surely their most realistic route back to European competition.
Of course, the hosts could go all the way in the Europa League to dine at the continent's top table again, but history favours them more in this competition; Man United have won each of their last 14 FA Cup fifth-round ties since being dumped out at this point by Liverpool in 2005-06.
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Manchester United have progressed from their last nine FA Cup ties against Fulham since a 2-1 quarter-final defeat in 1908.
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Manchester United have lost just one of their last 21 meetings with Fulham in all competitions (W17 D3). They’ve beaten them 1-0 in both Premier League meetings this season.
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This is the fourth time Fulham are facing the holders of the FA Cup in the competition, being eliminated on each of the previous three occasions (4-5 v Newcastle in 1955-56, 1-2 v West Brom in 1968-69 and 0-4 v Man City in 2019-20).
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Fulham are looking to reach the FA Cup quarter-final for the second time in the last three seasons, beating Leeds United 2-0 at this stage in 2022-23.
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Manchester United have progressed from each of their last 14 FA Cup fifth round ties, since losing 1-0 to Liverpool in 2005-06. Indeed, the Red Devils have reached the quarter-final of the competition in nine of the last 10 campaigns.
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Man Utd’s Bruno Fernandes has been involved in 11 goals in his last 11 appearances in the FA Cup, scoring seven and assisting four. He’s only failed to register a goal or an assist in two of these 11 games.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports