Forty-one down, 24 to go? Manchester United’s marathon season could extend to 65 games. If they are no longer in four competitions, it is because they have won the first of them. They could have ended their interest in a second in four days, and in very different way, but conjured a three-goal comeback in 18 minutes. An FA Cup quarter-final beckons: with Fulham at home, impressively as Marco Silva’s side have done this season, probably a semi-final too.
But then, as Sir Alex Ferguson can confirm, lifting the FA Cup can involve a comeback or two. There were two late goals when his United beat Liverpool in the fourth round in 1999 and they got a treble. There were two late strikes against West Ham in the fifth round in 2023 and Erik ten Hag’s team remain on course for a different kind of treble. Manchester City may stand in their way in the FA Cup, but not yet. Arsenal may form a barrier on the path to the Europa League final, but not yet. United seem in this for the long haul.
