Antony and Amad Diallo – Man Utd’s unlikeliest of heroes: Winners and losers as Erik ten Hag’s forgotten wingers help decide FA Cup thriller and end Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of quitting Liverpool with a quadruple

United had badly missed the presence of Hojlund, whose latest injury had interrupted a run of scoring seven times in his previous six matches. His absence had left Ten Hag without any centre-forwards for the previous four matches, leading to Bruno Fernandes playing as a false nine in the Manchester derby and Rashford toiling by himself against Fulham.

But the Denmark striker had a brutal return to action, coming up against the towering presence of Virgil van Dijk and barely getting involved in the game. He had just 13 touches and, unlike on previous occasions this season, there were few protests from the Old Trafford faithful when he was substituted.

Hojlund did not hold the ball up with his usual confidence and he also struggled to dovetail with Alejandro Garnacho and Rashford, often losing the ball on the rare occasion he got hold of it. He also had no shots on target, losing his footing when he was released in the area by midway through the first half.

This match was one of Ten Hag’s final chances to prove to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford that he was worth keeping on as United’s manager, given the season would have been effectively over had they lost on Sunday and been knocked out of the FA Cup. Instead, they have another trip to Wembley to look forward to, their fourth under Ten Hag.

The manager got his tactics spot on, despite having another big injury to deal with after losing Casemiro to a muscle problem. And his side played some of their best football of the season in the first half, albeit they shipped two goals right before half-time. But they showed their character, something they have been severely lacking this season. Ten Hag also had the presence of mind to stay calm amid the madness enfolding in front of him, and his changes won the match.

The victory also brought the curtain down on a satisfying Premier League weekend for Ten Hag, as top-four rivals Aston Villa and Tottenham both dropped points, leaving the door slightly ajar for the Red Devils to qualify for the Champions League if they can find some consistency after the international break.

Before Amad’s extra-time heroics, two players had made their mark on the game for Ten Hag’s side more than anyone else: Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, the star pupils of United’s ‘Class of 2022’.

Mainoo was overlooked by Gareth Southgate last week for his latest England squad and looked like he was on a mission to prove the Three Lions boss wrong as he took control of the midfield. The 18-year-old did not have Casemiro by his side this time, but if anything he played better without the Brazilian. He kept putting out fires but also dictated United’s play, and he was responsible for one of the best moments of the game that did not lead to a goal, when he danced his way past two Liverpool players to release Rashford, which in turn led to McTominay firing straight at Kelleher.

Mainoo was given a standing ovation when he was taken off while Klopp was so impressed he gave him a fist-pump. High praise indeed.

Speaking of high praise, Garnacho was the outstanding player from the first minute to the last. He played his part in three of United’s goals: his shot led to McTominay’s opener, his run created the danger from which Antony struck the first equaliser and he then unselfishly teed up Amad.

Mainoo and Garnacho flew the flag for the latest generation of homegrown United players, but Rashford and McTominay also represented the old boys network with their goals, as United’s academy again had a day to remember.

After the Carabao Cup final, it felt as if something special was brewing for Klopp in his final season at Liverpool. By some alchemy, his team of inexperienced academy products had defied the odds to win the season’s first piece of silverware, and with three more trophies to play for and his squadron of injured superstars all well on their way to recovery, suddenly the impossible felt possible once more.

Any team winning a quadruple may well prove to be an impossibility, but Klopp’s Reds gave it as good a go as anyone these past three years. In 2022, they won both domestic cups, lost in the Champions League final and missed out on the Premier League title by one point. They could yet end this campaign with more cups, but the impossible dream has died far earlier in 2024.

Klopp will be scratching his head at how his team failed to book him at least one more Wembley date. After a slow start, they had taken control of the game by the end of the first half, and absolutely dominated the second period, only to almost lose the game inside 90 minutes after Antony’s equaliser and Rashford’s incredible miss.

Even in extra-time, his team was up against a United side that had a clearly injured Bruno Fernandes playing centre-back, while Elliott’s deflected effort meant that they only had 15 minutes to hold out for to seal victory. Instead, Nunez and then Elliott lacked composure when they really needed it, as both lost the ball in dangerous areas, and United capitalised.

And so while Klopp can’t be blamed for this result, it will likely take some time to get over. Thankfully for the German, he has the international break to do just that, before the now-treble charge begins on Easter Sunday at home to Brighton.

Quite where the FA Cup ranks in its importance to modern English football will continue to be debated, and there will be those who continue to question whether the competition has ‘lost its magic’ year on year. But when the game’s oldest cup competition is good, boy is it good.

Sunday’s madcap encounter at Old Trafford capped a truly thrilling weekend of quarter-finals. Twenty goals were scored across the four games, with three of them only settled in added-on time. There’s no doubt that when Wembley comes into view and clubs can taste a potential trophy, then performance levels rise and games become more open as teams who fall behind know they have nothing left to lose.

And so while the riches on offer in the Premier League and Champions League have meant that the FA Cup has fallen down the pecking order of importance for the 21st century football club, it can still produce its fair share of memorable moments. The ‘magic’ never went away – sometimes you just have to wait until the later rounds for it to arrive.