This is the live blog post for the FA Cup Semifinal matchup of Manchested United and Everton at Wembley stadium. Live updates will begin just before kick-off, around 16:00 GMT (11:00 Eastern US time).
Starting line-ups are in for today’s match.
Manchester United – Foster, Rafael da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fabio da Silva, Welbeck, Gibson, Anderson, Ji-Sung, Tevez, Macheda
Everton – Howard, Hibbert, Jagelka, Lescott, Baines, Osman, Neville, Fellaini, Pienaar, Cahill, Saha
Man U will be resting several of their top players including van der Sar, Rooney, and Ronaldo while Everton have their to lineup. Kick-off is only about 15 minutes away.
1′ – And the game starts with a full crowd at Wembley. Osman with an early shot but its wide of goal.
3′ – Everton with the momentum early as Man U has a young and relatively inexperienced side.
5′ – Macheda with a shot but its wide of the net.
9′ – Everton with most of the early possession but unable to get any god scoring chances yet.
11′ – Neville with a great run and gets a chance but the shot is off target. Man United has yet to settle into the match and not able to hold possession for very long.
13′ – Some nice passing combinations between Macheda and Welbeck of United and Tevez gets a shot but its wide of the net.
17′ – Neither team with a shot on goal yet and able to grab the early momentum.
20′ – The pace of the game has slowed down.
21′ – Ben Foster with a mistake and nearly gives up the first goal. On a back pass he dribbled it to clear the ball but nearly had it stolen before he kicked it out, but recovered at the last second.
23′ – A dangerous cross is sent in by Rafael, volleyed by Welbeck, and deflects off an Everton defender just wide. Almost a goal as Howard had no chance on the deflection.
24′ – Man U starting to play with more confidence in the last 5 minutes.
27′ – Rafael with a wreckless challenge on Baines just outside the box for an Everton free kick. It’s sent in and off the wall for a corner kick.
29′ – The corner is cleared out by the defense and still no score at the half hour mark.
33′ – Man United have looked more confident and threatening in the attack. However neither goalkeeper has been tested with any shots.
34′ – Tevez with a yellow card for a bad challenge on Pienaar.
37′ – A dangerous ball into the box and Pienaar battles with Rafael who wins the ball as the Everton crowd wanting a penalty but nothing is called.
40′ – Macheda with a through ball to Welbeck who gets a shot but its wide and the defense closed down to take away his angle on the try.
44′ – Not a whole lot of chances for each side as halftime nears.
45′ – One minute of stoppage time to be added.
45′+1 – A through ball is too far and Howard comes out to pick it up and send it out as only a few seconds remain in the first half. And the whistle sounds as it’s 0-0 at halftime.
46′ – The second half kicks off with both teams unable to get anything going in the first half. Everton had some momentum early in the first half but United has looked more dangerous in attack.
49′ – A defensive game so far but should open up in the second half.
50′ – Everton unable to capitalize on a turnover in midfield as United’s defense remains solid.
52′ – A deep throw-in for Everton and a cross sent in but Man U is able to head it out.
54′ – Cahill with Everton’s first shot on goal is a good one and Foster makes a save. Everton with the momentum the last 5 minutes.
58′ – Similar to the first half, Man U starting to work themselves into the match as the half progresses.
59′ – Anderson takes a free kick about 35 yards out but its over everyone’s head and the net for a goal kick.
61′ – A free kick sent into the box for Everton but United takes possession back. Still, neither team with many chances or any close range shots on goal.
63′ – Tevez with a run at the defense with the ball but his last touch is not good and Everton are able to clear the danger. A few moments later, Park with a shot that’s just wide of goal. Howard was there for the save though, if it was on goal.
64′ – Evra in and Fabio out for Manchester United.
65′ – A free kick just outside the box for Man United but nothing comes from it.
67′ – A good strike from Gibson and Howard has to make a save to concede a corner.
68′ – Scholes in and Park out for Manchester United.
69′ – A very interesting call as a Man U player gets taken down in the box and the United fans wanted a penalty. It was a very close call and could have gone either way, but luckily for Everton it was a no call. It was Jagelka challenging Welbeck on the play.
70′ – Saha out and Rodwell in for Everton.
72′ – A free kick for Everton about 35-40 yards from goal is sent in but headed out by the defense. The pace of the game picking up and so is the intensity as there’s only about 20 minutes left to play.
74′ – Everton with a corner and it’s a poor ball way short and headed out by the defense. Another ball is crossed in and a foul on Jagelka who ran into Foster going for the ball.
75′ – Man United with some solid possession but the Everton defense stands strong. Anderson with a chance but its wide and the defense did a good job of taking away any decent angle on the shot.
78′ – United with good possession the last 5 minutes and really pressing for a goal but the defense has been solid all game.
79′ – Some combination from Macheda, Welbeck, and Anderson puts pressure on the Everton defense but Howard comes out to make a save.
82′ – A great chance for United as Scholes with a pass to Macheda who is open 6 yards from goal but offside.
83′ – Welbeck with a shot that just curls over the top of the net but not far off.
84′ – A yellow card for Fellaini and Ferdinand is down temporarily.
85′ – A corner for Manchester United earned by Welbeck putting pressure on the defense.
86′ – Howard punches the corner out and then makes a save on the next shot.
88′ – Any goal scored now would almost definitely be the game winner. A corner for Everton with only 5 or so minutes left.
89′ – Pienaar sends it in and its out of bounds for a goal kick.
90′ – 3 minutes of stoppage time and Evra with a foul to give a free kick.
90′+1 – The free kick about 25 yards from goal and its a cross sent in but a foul on Fellaini.
90′+2 – Now United with a chance and its given away in midfield as Everton look for one more chance.
90′+3 – Only a few moments left until extra time unless one of the teams can pull something miraculous off. The referee blows the whistle and it will be two 15 minute periods of extra time.
Extra Time
1′ – 30 more minutes as it’s still scoreless.
3′ – A chance from Cahill forces Foster to make a good save.
5′ – Man U holding possession for that last 2-3 minutes as Everton look to be a little tired. A few changes made including Berbatov on now in for Man United.
9′ – Everton with possession in the final third but Rafael steals the ball and clears it.
10′ – Berbatov sends a ball across the box but no one is there and Everton now with possession.
11′ – Tevez with an ambitious try that goes out of bounds and over the goal.
12′ – Fellaini out and Vaughan in for Everton.
14′ – Only another minute or two left in the first session of extra time. A corner kick earned by Everton.
15′ – The corner is sent in and headed by Lescott and sent in again but Foster is there. The whistle sounds and its 0-0 heading into the 2nd period of Extra Time. It will be penalty kicks if its tied after the final 15 minutes.
16′ – Both teams unable to get consistent scoring chances as the defenses have been solid and usually mistake free.
17′ – Baines with a pass to Vaughan who takes a shot but it deflects out of play.
18′ – Now Everton with some momentum as a shot is sent in and just wide of the net, but Foster was there if it was on target.
20′ – Cahill with a yellow card for a challenge on Vidic.
21′ – About 10 minutes left until penalty kicks and Everton with the better chances in the 2nd extra time period.
24′ – Each team still unable to get many chances and both looking tired after almost 120 minutes in a tough match.
25′ – United with possession in the final third, just passing it out and earn a throw-in as Lescott clears it. Tevez goes down in the box looking for a penalty but no call as the Argentine was trying to get a call.
27′ – A corner for United is headed out and Everton can’t clear and it’s another corner. It’s sent in, headed out by the defense, and United are unable to convert.
30′ – It’s still scoreless and it will be penalty kicks to decide who faces Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Penalty Kicks
-Tim Cahill of Everton steps up to take the first one against Foster, and the Australian misses the net.
-Now for Manchester United is Berbatov against Everton keeper Howard who makes the save as the shot was low and it’s tied 0-0
-Baines steps up to take the kick and he curls it just under the bar and Foster went the other way, now 1-0 Everton
-Ferdinand’s chance for Man United, and its blocked by Howard with a great save, 1-0 Everton
-Neville with a chance and he scores as Foster goes the opposite direction, 2-0 Everton on penalty kicks
-Vidic steps up and makes the kick as Howard goes the opposite direction, 2-1 Everton
-Vaughan’s turn and he hits the corner and Foster had little chance even though he guessed right, 3-1 Everton
-Anderson’s turn for Man U and he makes it in the corner as Howard went the other direction, 3-2 Everton
-Jagelka with a chance to win it and he scores for the victory and Everton have won on penalty kicks 4-2
A great match as it will be Chelsea against Everton in the FA Cup Final at the end of May at Wembley.
| Match Stats | ||
| Manchester United | Everton | |
| Shots (on Goal) | 15(7) | 6(2) |
| Fouls | 18 | 19 |
| Corner Kicks | 9 | 4 |
| Offsides | 4 | 1 |
| Time of Possession | 51% | 49% |
| Yellow Cards | 3 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | 3 | 3 |
Mancehster underestimated Everton. They lost because they let Rooney, Ronaldo and van der Sar rest. That’s my opinion. In a match where it’s hard to score, you need some individual class (Ronaldo, Rooney).