Aside from the obvious progression into a first domestic cup final since 2018, the joyous return to action of Jadon Sancho on Wednesday evening was the highlight for the 70,000-plus inside Old Trafford.
The 22-year-old came on to a raucous welcome on 63 minutes, beaming with pride and cracking a joke with Erik ten Hag from the sidelines. 10 minutes later, Anthony Martial and Fred turned a comfortable 3-0 aggregate scoreline into an unassailable one, booking United's place at Wembley come February 26 in the process.
It was Sancho's first appearance in 102 days - his last coming in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in October - and came a fortnight after his first involvement in full first-team training since the end of that same month. Physical fitness was at the core of the problem, with Ten Hag sanctioning an individual programme in the Netherlands while the rest of the squad flew to Marbella in December, but a lack of enjoyment in the game and the pressure of a £73million price-tag seemed to weigh heavy.
