Chronicle of a Wembley outcome foretold - Man United were always going to beat Brighton

FA Cup semi-final

Brighton 0

Manchester United 0

(After extra time: Man United win 7-6 on pens)

A semi-final that took an age to decide which way it was going to go finally succumbed to the age-old script. The big teams nearly always prevail.

United, winners at Wembley just a few weeks ago in the Carabao Cup final, were mostly poor but it is they who progress to ensure the first all-Manchester FA Cup final.

There was nothing between the sides on the day – even penalties looked like they might not separate them. But then Solly March skied his 12-yarder over the bar and Victor Lindelof buried his shot to break the Seagulls' hearts.

It just seemed like it was meant to be.

Much was made in the build-up about the relative form of both clubs and how the Seagulls might now have the measure of a United side routed at Sevilla in midweek.

After all, hadn’t they won at Old Trafford earlier in the season – the only team to do so in the Premier League? Hadn’t they rattled off a 4-0 home win at the Amex against their supposedly more illustrious opponents last season?

Here was a golden opportunity to gain belated Wembley revenge for 1983 and their one previous FA Cup final appearance when Albion were thrashed 4-0 in a replay having missed a perfect chance to win the original tie, that ended 2-2.

That “And Smith must score” commentary as a late chance was missed passed into legend, but it has done Brighton no favours over the years. It is not a happy memory.

Alas for them, they have no fresh upbeat memory to usurp it.

This was a game that started brightly but became progressively messier and stodgy – a succession of free-kicks, misplaced passes and stop-start rhythms.

The opening 15 minutes, which had seen Alexis Mac Allister force David De Gea to tip over a free-kick and for Robert Sanchez to stretch to keep out Bruno Fernandes turned out not to be a harbinger of thrilling things to come.

After a dire second half that led to inevitable extra time, United came close to breaking the deadlock when Marcus Rashford fired a deflected shot from the edge of the area. Robert Sanchez had to be at his best to ensure it remained scoreless.

March gave it a go in the second period of extra-time, but hit too close to de Gea. Rashford tried again but was wide after cutting in from the left. But it was always going to penalties.

And if that felt inevitable, so did the outcome of those kicks.

Seagulls: (4-2-3-1) Sanchez – Gross, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan – Caicedo. Mac Allister – March, Enciso (Veltman 66), Mitoma – Welbeck (Undav 75). Subs not used: Steele, Colwill, Ayari, Gilmour, van Hecke, Buonanotte, Offiah

United: (4-2-3-1) De Gea – Wan-Bissaka (Malacia 101), Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot – Casemiro, Eriksen (Fred 62) – Antony (Sabitzer 90), Bruno Fernandes (Weghorst 101), Rashford – Martial (Sancho 85). Subs not used: Butland, Pellistri, Williams, Elanga

Attendance: 81,445