Nearly everyone at Old Trafford instantly consoled Joshua Zirkzee after the Man United striker missed a vital opportunity in his team’s FA Cup fifth-round penalty shootout against Fulham.

The Red Devils ended their FA Cup defense by recording the team’s worst run in a season after winning the competition, losing 4-3 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of play.

In order to give his team a chance to win the shootout, Zirkzee had to score after stepping up to take United’s last penalty. However, he was unable to conceal his instantaneous desperation after launching his shot into Bernd Leno’s hands.

As Fulham celebrated their joint-best FA Cup run since 2001–02, he put his shirt over his face and fell to his knees.

Soon after, Zirkzee was surrounded by his teammates, and while he fought back tears, Matthijs de Ligt, Diogo Dalot, and Chido Obi helped him stand up.

Zirkzee was comforted by Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui, Rasmus Hojlund, and Victor Lindelof, who had also missed for United in the shootout.

Raul Jimenez, Kalvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson of Fulham were next to comfort the distraught Zirkzee, while Ruben Amorim, the manager of United, embraced his player as they applauded the onlookers.

‘Oh, Joshua Zirkzee’ echoed around Old Trafford, the stadium where the forward was once jeered off at the end of the previous season, as supporters expressed their feelings for Zirkzee in addition to those on the field.

In a 2-0 loss at Newcastle in December, the Red Devils gave up two goals in the first 19 minutes and Zirkzee was substituted out after just 33 minutes.

He overcame the hardship by scoring the game-winning penalty for United in their FA Cup third-round shootout victory over Arsenal in January, and he has since won over many supporters.

Amorim gave a generic assessment of United’s heartbreaking FA Cup defense, refusing to call out Zirkzee or Lindelof for their missed penalties.

It’s challenging. After the set-piece goal, we were able to score in the second half. “I think we had the best chances in the game, but it’s harder for us to go and press high,” he added. “We did it and scored.”

Penalties can ultimately go any way, but it wasn’t our day.

We make an effort to calm the players. They are aware that it’s a technical issue, but they also recognize the occasion. You must be at ease and self-assured, and we strive to achieve that prior to penalties.

After losing to rivals Man City at Wembley in 2022 and 2023, United was unable to make it to the FA Cup final three times in a row.

After defeating Plymouth Argyle 3-1 at the Etihad on Saturday, City is still the only “Big Six” team still in the league.

Last month, Liverpool lost to the Championship team by an astonishing 1-0 score, while Tottenham lost to Aston Villa in the fourth round, Chelsea lost to Brighton, and Arsenal lost to United in the third round.

In an attempt to win their first FA Cup in club history, Fulham will now play London rivals Crystal Palace in the quarterfinal at Craven Cottage.