AP, Cambridge :
Cambridge held star-studded Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at home in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday, earning the fourth-tier club a lucrative replay at Old Trafford.
Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie both missed good chances to score in the second half as Louis van Gaal’s team was repeatedly frustrated by the lowest-ranked club remaining in the competition, with Cambridge sitting only 12th in the fourth-division League Two.
The draw means the teams will play again at United’s famous ground to decide the winner. While United will be a massive favorite, the replay is a victory in itself for Cambridge, which gets a share of the revenue from the game at the 75,000-capacity stadium.
“It’s going to be a bit surreal,” said Cambridge midfielder Ryan Donaldson. “Off to Old Trafford. Not bad, is it? … A draw was a dream result for us, and we got it.”
Van Gaal rested Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata for the game but otherwise fielded a strong lineup. Still, the host held its own against the 11-time FA Cup winner in the first half and nearly went ahead when Josh Coulson headed just over the bar following a goalmouth scramble after a corner.
United controlled the game more after the break, and Cambridge goalkeeper Chris Dunn made a superb save to deny Falcao just after the hour mark, getting a hand to the Colombian’s shot from close range. Van Persie came on as a substitute to give United’s attack more edge and had his best chance in the 71st when he was played clear in the area by Angel Di Maria but fired his volley over the bar from six yards out.
Dunn then punched a way a dangerous cross from Adnan Januzaj in injury time before getting down to save a low shot by Di Maria from the rebound.
“Fair play, Cambridge made it difficult for us,” United midfielder Michael Carrick said. “Frustrating, because we wanted to be through, but at the same time we’re still in it, and we have the replay.”
