Wout Weghorst of Manchester United struck the ‘kiss of death’ before Brighton player Solly March missed his penalty attempt.
In the 101st minute of Sunday’s semi-final, the 30-year-old Netherlands international, who has been a consistent starter at Old Trafford since his January arrival, came on for Bruno Fernandes.
In the latter stages, he found it difficult to contribute much, but to his credit, the Burnley loanee’s calm penalty sent Seagulls goalkeeper Robert Sanchez the wrong way.
After slotting away with ease, Weghorst proceeded to plant a ‘kiss of death’ on the ball before handing it over to Solly March, who proceeded to blaze over from 12 yards.
United centre-back Victor Lindelof soon converted his penalty to send United into the FA Cup final, where they will play local rivals Manchester City on June 3.
And moments later, a delighted Weghorst sprinted straight over to the Manchester United end – which was on the opposite side to the shoot-out – before delivering an impressive knee-slide.
Here is that incredible moment. Shades of Adebayor, when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans, anyone?
Fans were quick to react to Weghorst’s antics both during and after the penalty shoot-out at Wembley.
One said: “Wout Weghorst was always going to face criticism after replacing Cristiano Ronaldo, but he’ll be remembered as a Man Utd cult hero. This is one of the reasons why.”
A second wrote: “This video is definitely fake. Wout Weghorst does not move that quickly. What the?” while another commented: “Man I’m in a love hate relationship with Weghorst. One day I love him the next he pisses me off.”
A fourth added: “Love this! The lad is living his dream.”
There has been a mixture of criticism and praise for Weghorst during his loan spell at Old Trafford. Back in March, he insisted he is “doing a good job” for the team, despite facing criticism from certain figures in the football world.
Displaying great hold-up play and work ethic in some of his outings, the former Wolfsburg man has impressed some.
But others aren’t convinced, including the likes of Paul Scholes and Richard Keys, who said the Dutchman has to be “the worst player I’ve ever seen in a United jersey.”
That being said, Weghorst is happy with his contribution. While on international duty last month, he said: “That’s a lot of matches and it shows the trust in me.
“It also shows that I am doing a good job for the team. That was the thing I wanted when I came here – to contribute and try and help the club to be successful to win trophies. We have one now.”
He added: “Am I living a dream? Certainly. In my opinion, this is the absolute top and one of the largest clubs in the world.
“I feel like I’m very much in my place. I am super happy, very happy. I play at a beautiful level and can be of value as a basic player. That makes me a happy man.”
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