Manchester United were involved in the five-minute final in 1979 and this was the five-minute quarter-final. Fulham clutched defeat from the jaws of victory in a madcap and chaotic five minutes in scenes more befitting a WWE event.
In those five minutes, there were three red cards, two goals and one penalty. Both goals went in at the Stretford End, which witnessed another remarkable recovery from United.
"We're on the march with Ten Hag's army, we're all going to Wembley," they chorused at full-time. After nearly five years without a trip to the national stadium, United's followers will be back on April 23 in the semi-finals.
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Until Willian's impromptu goalkeeping, United were lifeless and destined to depart the FA Cup at the quarter-finals for the fifth time in the last nine seasons. The Fulham manager Marco Silva, expelled before any of his players, could be seen skulking around the tunnel in the 82nd minute, his team 2-1 down. Ten minutes earlier, they were 1-0 up.
The dust had already settled by then. Had Silva viewed a replay of Willian's handball, he would not have launched a water bottle to the turf and embarked on a tirade that the fourth official, David Coote, deemed worthy of expulsion.
Had Aleksandar Mitrovic, a thorn in United's side all afternoon and Fulham's scorer, been informed that Willian had patently punched the ball from Jadon Sancho's shot, he might not have aggressively confronted the referee Chris Kavanagh. Mitrovic saw red figuratively and literally.
After a possible penalty was not reviewed last week, this week the Video Assistant Referee ruled in United's favour. Those sat by the press box with a view of the monitors immediately knew United would soon be a man up. Not long after, they were 2-1 up.
"We've seen it all, we've won the lot," boasted the United matchgoers as Kavanagh studied the replay. For the first time all afternoon, they sensed victory.
Once the referee had counted nine Fulham players on the pitch and Bruno Fernandes nervelessly converted his spotkick, United's progression felt inevitable. Somehow, the match ended a flattering 3-1.
The winner was scored stylishly by Marcel Sabitzer, his first goal for the club, two minutes after Fernandes rallied the Stretford Enders and five after the red card appeared more times than it takes for a kettle to boil. Fernandes started and ended United's scoring.
United required special assistance. They were lifeless until Antony broke to tee up Sancho and draw the illegal save from Willian in the 72nd minute. Fulham, without midweek commitments and with a settled side, dominated for 70 minutes and were well worth their advantage.
Ten Hag has made 19 half-time changes this season and has acted in response to better first halves, yet resisted against Fulham. Within five minutes of the restart, David de Gea's goal had been peppered with three shots. Mitrovic eventually breached him, losing the ball-watching Luke Shaw.
Shortly after Mitrovic pounced, Harry Maguire emerged from the backline and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was still stood behind him, much to the audible disbelief of the United supporters. Many sounded resigned to a fatigued defeat after 14 matches in 47 days.
Yet no sooner had United equalised that their supporters began chanting about going to Wem-ber-ley. They will face Brighton, the only domestic side to have prevailed at Old Trafford all season. United's undefeated run in M16 is now at 23 games.
This was not an afternoon as rosy as United's shirts. Fernandes bemoaned Shaw's refusal to hit a long diagonal and there was audible annoyance at United's lethargy to move up the pitch. In the 40th minute, Wan-Bissaka went to throw the ball to Maguire but his back was turned and the resumption was delayed. "Get your f-----g head up," one supporter advised.
Maguire, typically, became a lightning rod for supporters to express their exasperation, specifically on the two occasions he stood motionless with the ball amid a dearth of options. His happiest moment until Fernandes levelled was being accompanied onto the pitch by his daughter and nephew.
The absence of a teammate to treasure the ball was noticeable when the teamsheets were printed. Of Ten Hag's five permanent signings, only one started. Of the nine recruited on his watch, three lined up.
There was an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reunion with Andreas Pereira in the Fulham XI, pitted against Scott McTominay. Daniel James came off the bench.
It was not only the players well below their optimum. Ten Hag's game management was dilatory but the choice of Antony as prime game-changer was pivotal. The much-missed Fred was not needed until United were ahead.
United did not cross into the Fulham third until the eighth minute and Ten Hag repeatedly pointed towards the left-hand side, only his instructions fell on deaf ears. When Marcus Rashford charged down that side, he looked up and only had Weghorst to pass to. Rashford was patently hesitant though eventually played the ball to Weghorst, whose shot had all the force of a back pass.
Ten Hag misjudged the midfield duel for the second week running by recalling McTominay to partner Sabitzer against the accomplished duo of Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha. Ten Hag evidently saw McTominay as the sitting midfielder and more balanced option but Fred had to be an automatic pick in the absence of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
McTominay and Sabitzer's axis as starters only lasted 45 minutes in the previous round against West Ham though Sabitzer and Fred's three starts together in February compromised United's balance,
They at least won two and drew one and theirs was a developing rapport between them. Without Fred, the heralded Palhinha was free to carry the ball without any barrier and Reed surged further forward to pit Mitrovic up against Martinez. Palhinha was announced as the man of the match.
Ten Hag has repeatedly cited Weghorst's pressing for his uninterrupted run of 18 starts only there was no evidence on this occasion. Weghorst withdrew into the hole to accommodate Antony and United may soon bury the Weghorst experiment.
Fulham's FA Cup hopes were buried in five minutes.
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