Harry Maguire’s Controversial Stoppage Time Winner Sends Manchester United into FA Cup 5th Round

Manchester United had luck on their side as they edged past Leicester City with a dramatic, but controversial, stoppage-time winner from Harry Maguire to book their spot in the FA Cup 5th Round.

Manchester United fans will feel a huge sense of relief – because let’s be honest, their team didn’t exactly deserve the win. Yet somehow, they found a way. Leicester City, despite being stuck in the relegation zone, looked like the sharper side in the first half. They took control, created the better chances, and finally got their reward in the 42nd minute. Wilfred Ndidi’s shot was parried by Andre Onana, but Bobby Decordova-Reid reacted quickest, heading home from close range to give the Foxes a deserved lead at halftime. 

After the break, Ruben Amorim made changes, bringing on Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee, and their impact was immediate. Garnacho, in particular, looked like United’s biggest threat, and it was his cross that led to the equalizer. Rasmus Højlund’s initial shot was blocked on the line, but the rebound fell kindly to Zirkzee, who made no mistake, tapping the ball into an empty net. With the Old Trafford crowd roaring them on, United pushed for a winner but struggled to break Leicester down. 

Then, deep into stoppage time, came the moment of controversy. Bruno Fernandes whipped in a free-kick, and Harry Maguire nodded the ball into the net. But replays showed he was clearly offside. However, with VAR not in use in the early rounds of the FA Cup, the goal stood. Leicester were left furious, but United marched on to the fifth round – thanks to a huge slice of luck. Following the final whistle, a furious Ruud Van Nistelrooy made his feelings clear. "VAR you have in a couple centimetres, a couple of inches; this was half a metre, clear in line," Van Nistelrooy fumed afterwards. "That was a hard one to take because the team deserves to draw in the end." 

Even Ruben Amorim admitted that if VAR was in use, United’s winner wouldn’t have stood. He said, “With VAR it was not a goal, and I think it's important to have because it's fair. It's really hard to lose one game in the last minute with an offside play, but sometimes we deserve a little bit of luck." Manchester United might have ridden their luck, but at the end of the day, Ruben Amorim and his players won’t be losing any sleep over it. They’re through to the fifth round, and that’s all that matters. With United stuck in mid-table in the Premier League, the FA Cup could very well be their best – and perhaps only – real shot at silverware this season.