Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take charge of his fifth semi-final as Manchester United this week.
But as United gear up to face Roma, fans hardly need reminding that Solskjaer is yet to win one.
We’ve had a look back at those four failures at crunch time, to see if anything can be learned as United seek to go one better this time around…
Manchester City – January 2020
United were handed a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final against bitter rivals City and in truth, it was over within 38 minutes.
In the absence of Harry Maguire, Solskjaer was forced to start Phil Jones as part of a backline which had absolutely no answer to City’s attack.
Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and an Andreas Pereira own goal meant United went in at half-time 3-0 down.
Although Marcus Rashford pulled one back after the break and Nemanja Matic’s drilled shot won the second leg 1-0, United lost 3-2 on aggregate.
Pereira and Fred were charged with stemming the tide in midfield and the atmosphere inside Old Trafford was way flatter than it should have been for a semi-final.
There wasn’t much belief around that United could actually see off City and the gulf in class during the first half of the first leg was worrying.
Chelsea – July 2020
Solskjaer made some big selection calls for last season’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley and it backfired.
Sergio Romero had played in every previous round but just like in the EFL Cup, he was dropped for the semi-finals in favour of David de Gea.
De Gea had a torrid afternoon, making two limp attempts at saves either side of half-time which allowed Chelsea to go 2-0 up.
That decision also sparked Romero’s disillusionment with the club, which means he hasn’t played a single game this season and looks set to leave under a cloud in the summer.
United came into the game on a long unbeaten run but Solskjaer tinkered with his side.
It was a clear sign that finishing in the top four was a priority, with Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba all rested.
The decision to go to 3-5-2 had worked against Chelsea in the league but didn’t go to plan here, stifling United as an attacking threat on a hugely disappointing afternoon.
With second place all but sewn up, it would be a huge shock to see Solskjaer repeat his rotation mistake against Roma.
Sevilla – August 2020
Solskjaer played his best team against Sevilla in Cologne, but by the closing stages they looked exhausted.
United did have enough chances to win the game and took the lead through Bruno Fernandes’ penalty after just 9 minutes.
It wasn’t just poor finishing which cost United.
There was some awful defending, especially by full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams at the back post, which cost United both goals.
It was similar to the dithering defensive display in Leipzig last December and Solskjaer will hope that his backline are not ponderous on a huge European night again tomorrow.
Manchester City – January 2021
The scale of City’s dominance wasn’t quite as great as it had been 12 months previously, but they still controlled the game at Old Trafford throughout.
The result also raised questions over the mentality of Solskjaer’s squad and their ability to perform when the pressure is on.
Solskjaer’s side have progressed this season in terms of league position but big games such as this, the aforementioned Leipzig loss and the FA Cup quarter-final trip to Leicester have simply passed them by.
That has to change, starting tomorrow.
Tottenham rightly drew criticism on Sunday when they made it four straight cup finals without scoring a goal, with familiar doubts about their resolve and desire resurfacing.
Similar accusations would be leveled at United if by full-time next Thursday it’s five semi-finals in little over a year without reaching a single final – and with good reason.
It’s time for Solskjaer and his players to show they’ve learned lessons from past failures and get the job done.
- How Sander Berge fared in Norway’s 4-1 win against Iraq amid Man Utd links
- Bruno Fernandes determined to make World Cup history
- Goncalo Ramos finds it ‘strange’ that one Manchester United player isn’t at the 2026 World Cup
- Ronaldo compares Brazil prodigy Endrick to Man Utd star Matheus Cunha
- Ruben Amorim’s official job role at AC Milan risks repeat of Man United meltdown
- Harry Maguire shares ‘the most frustrating’ thing about his England World Cup snub
- Man Utd have already made transfer approach to sign player who Sir Alex Ferguson would love
- Man Utd are already preparing for life with Mateus Fernandes, latest target ‘clicks’ with him
- Ruben Amorim told by Fabio Capello he must make one key decision immediately at AC Milan
- Amad Diallo sends ‘golden’ message to Yan Diomande after he opens door to Premier League move
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
