We lost our cool, admits Fergie

FA Cup 6th Round: Man United v Chelsea

The furore over Wayne Rooney’s omission and the performance of referee Cuneyt Cakir at Old Trafford on Tuesday night has rather obscured a brutal truth, namely United allowed their winning position in the last-16 tie to be overturned in the space of just 13 minutes, from the moment Nani was sent off for a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.

Some of the blame has been placed at Ferguson’s door, for failing to react, in contrast to Jose Mourinho, whose introduction of Luka Modric within three minutes of Nani’s exit proved to be a masterstroke.