Casemiro broke Nottingham Forest’s hearts with a goal in the dying minutes, which put Manchester United into the FA Cup quarter-finals for a record 48th time – and a ninth time in 10 seasons – by virtue of a 1-0 win at the City Ground.An injury-hit Manchester United had little choice but to field a near-full-strength eleven for their trip to the East Midlands. But it was a man making his first start since early January, Scott McTominay, who almost made a telling early contribution, when his header forced a simple save out of Matt Turner, shortly after Antony had rattled the crossbar. The opening 20 minutes were breathless at times, and although it took Forest a little longer to settle, they eventually forced a smart stop out of André Onana when the Cameroonian beat away Taiwo Awoniyi’s wicked drive.Joseph will remember the bitter Chelsea hearthache – but everyone will remember JosephSuch was the changeable pattern of the first half, it soon swung back in United’s favour. McTominay was again at the heart of the goalmouth action, with his header this time forcing a better save out of Turner, who turned his near post header away for a corner to keep the scoresheet unmarked going into the interval. It was similarly frenetic after the break too, but it was the Tricky Trees who started brighter this time around, but in another duel between Onana and Awoniyi, the United stopper came out on top.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Onana was proving an immovable object in the United goal, as he was again on hand to deny Divock Origi shortly after, leaving Forest wondering just what they had to do to break the deadlock. In truth, both sides were probably thinking the same, with a lack of quality in the final third hinting that this game was going to need extra-time to find a winner. That was until Casemiro took matters into his own hands, stooping low at the near post to turn home a Bruno Fernandes free-kick in front of the travelling contingent.It was a very timely winner for United, who certainly won’t have wanted extra-time with a Manchester derby to come against City on Sunday. The victory sets up a blockbuster quarter-final tie against Liverpool at Old Trafford, and as painstaking as this defeat must feel for Forest, it is perhaps a blessing in disguise. They can now focus solely on their battle to beat the drop in the Premier League, which resumes with the visit of Liverpool on Saturday.##NAJAVA_MECA_7910308##Meanwhile, Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns were on the scoresheet as Liverpool earned a 3-0 win over Southampton, meaning the Reds haven’t lost any of their six head-to-head in this competition since suffering defeat in March 1925.After calling on the kids during the Carabao Cup final, Jürgen Klopp tasked a youthful side with helping the Reds get a step closer to playing at Wembley Stadium again. Southampton held FA Cup dreams of their own and showed plenty of intent, with Sékou Mara having a goal ruled out for offside and two more attempts saved by Caoimhín Kelleher, while Kamaldeen Sulemana hit the post inside the opening 10 minutes. Their confidence continued to grow and Joe Rothwell cut in before sending an attempt curling wide.OFFICIAL FA Cup quarter-final fixtures 🏆Wolverhampton Wanderers v Coventry CityManchester United v LiverpoolChelsea v Leicester City Manchester City v Newcastle UnitedSome tasty fixtures and semi-finals on the cards! 🔥— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) February 28, 2024 The Saints were given a scare when Ryan Manning’s attempted pass was blocked and James McConnell slipped through Cody Gakpo, although the Dutchman couldn’t get a shot off under pressure. Even with the Reds getting more of a foothold after that moment, they still didn’t test Joe Lumley until the 42nd minute when he palmed a venomous Harvey Elliott effort wide. The goalkeeper was beaten just two minutes later, though, when Koumas drove inside Jack Stephens and hit a shot that deflected in off Jan Bednarek to mark the 18-year-old’s debut with a goal.Southampton emerged from the break defiantly, with Sulemana being denied by Kelleher after Liverpool’s halftime substitute Ibrahima Konaté had got a vital touch on Samuel Edozie to narrow the angle. The hosts conjured a blistering break that culminated in a disappointing Gakpo effort trickling harmlessly wide, but the visitors kept coming with Joe Aribo glancing his header off-target.Danns then joined his academy teammate in scoring a first senior goal, applying a delightfully dinked finish to Elliott’s through ball. The 18-year-old’s evening got better as he converted the rebound after Lumley had saved Conor Bradley’s attempt, with Liverpool recording a fifth consecutive victory across all competitions to set up a heavyweight FA Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United. They also inflicted Southampton’s third consecutive defeat, although Russell Martin can take encouragement from his side’s performance.FA CUP – ROUND 5Tuesday Bournemouth – Leicester 0-1 (0-0) AET/Fatawu 106/Blackburn – Newcastle 1-1 (0-0) Penalties 3-4/Szmodics 79 – Gordon 71/Luton – Man.City 2-6 (1-3)/Clark 45, 52 – Haaland 3, 18, 40, 55, 58, Kovacic 72/Wednesday Chelsea – Leeds 3-2 (1-1)/Jackson 15, Mudryk 37, Gallagher 90 – Joseph 8, 59/Wolverhampton – Brighton 1-0 (1-0)/Lemina 2/Nott.Forest – Man.Utd. 0-1 (0-0)/Casemiro 89/Liverpool – Southampton 3-0 (1-0)/Koumas 44, Danns 73, 88/***odds are subject to change
