Manchester United 0-1 Portsmouth - As It Happened

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! Well, they needed a fair slice of luck, but one way or another Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth will be going to Wembley (that's right, kids, the semi-finals will be held there this year). United can point to the penalty they should have been given in the first half, they might even question the decision to send Kusczak off when Portsmouth were given theirs, but ultimately it was their inability to convert the chances they did have that cost them this game. Portsmouth should really have been beaten long before Kusczak's misdemeanor gave them the chance to win it themselves. Thanks for all your emails, sorry I couldn't use more.

90 mins (+4) Ferguson throws his gum away in a rage as Baros earns a free-kick down by the United goal-line.

90 mins (+2) Portsmouth are doing a fine job of seeing this game out - first Richard Hughes, who came on for Krancjar a few minutes back, then Diarra taking turns to trot into the United half and see how long they can keep possession before being fouled.

90 mins Four minutes of added time to come.

89 mins Anderson jabs a left-footed shot wide from the edge of the box, but he's off balance and it's never really going anywhere near the target. Even so that's just about the best chance United have had since the goal.

86 mins "Will Kuszczak miss the next three games now," asks Sean Moore. "Interesting situation if Van der Sar is injured - I wonder if Foster will come into the side after a year out and one game in the reserves, or whether they'll give Heaton a try? What do you think?" Well I'd imagine it should only be a one-match ban, Sean - it was a professional foul but it wasn't violent conduct. I really know very little about Heaton, but even lacking match practice I'd expect them to rush back Foster if Van der Sar is out for the next game - I don't see that they'd have a lot of choice.

83 mins Understandably, United look shell-shocked right now. Having contrived to miss about 300 gilt-edged chance in the space of five minutes before Portsmouth's goal, they're now struggling to keep possession at all and Portsmouth's strikers are enjoying running into the spaces vacated by the removal of Ferdinand from the United defence.

80 mins United go straight down the other end and win a pair of corners in quick succession, but nothing comes of either.

GOAL! Muntari - 78 mins Ooh - Ferdinand actually does a pretty good job of getting near Muntari's penalty, but it is absolutely viciously struck into the bottom right corner, and you doubt any keeper really would have got near it. Unbelievably, it looks like Portsmouth are going to pull this off.

Red card! (Kusczak - 77 mins) Incredible stuff - Ferdinand is now in goal for United after Kuszczak fouled Baros in the box. Portsmouth had broken at speed and Krancjar played an absolutely delightful ball across two defenders - one of whom really should have been tracking Baros - to Baros in the middle to put him one-on-one with the keeper. Kuszczak brought down Baros, and though it might seem harsh to give both the penalty and the card, the fact is that Baros was through on an open goal if he hadn't been fouled.

75 mins This is just getting ridiculous - Campbell slides the ball behind from the middle of his own six-yard box after Nani played a very inviting ball across the face of James's goal. Ronaldo would have scored if Campbell hadn't.

73 mins And now United hit the post! It was actually a fine save from James, who got just enough with his outstretched palms to nudge a low, swerving drive from Evra on to his right-hand post.

70 mins Absolutely unbelievable. Michael Carrick, who has just come on for Hargreaves (Anderson also came on for Tevez) was put one-on-one with James by a glorious little back heel from Ronaldo, and he beat the keeper and looked set to walk the ball into the net. Somehow, though, Distin recovered to slide in front of him, blocking the ball on the line, and then somehow keeping it trapped there as Carrick tried to hack it in, before James recovered and leapt on the ball.

67 mins Two more chances for United in quick succession - and the first really should have led to a goal. Rooney played in Evra down the left, who could really have taken the shot on himself as James came out to meet him at the near post. Instead he tried to play in Tevez, who was unmarked by the penalty spot, but he cut the ball back just too far and Tevez over-ran it. The ball then came back in from United from the far side, and Ronaldo won the header near the penalty spot, but he couldn't keep it down and it goes over for a goal-kick.

65 mins Things are opening up here - Baros has been giving United's defence a fair bit of trouble since coming on, but United are also beginning to fashion more serious chances again, and Ronaldo thumps another low drive just wide from 20-odd yards after a neat lay-off from Rooney.

62 mins Baros shows off his finest pout after being adjudged to have fouled Hargreaves after he appeared to have gotten goal-side of the midfielder, who was somehow the last man back for United as Portsmouth broke. Not for the first time this game, I genuinely have no idea what Atkinson has seen here.

60 mins Another corner for United - this time swung in by Evra, finds Tevez on the edge of the area, but his shot is blocked by Johnson and goes for another corner. This time Campbell heads clear.

57 mins How did that not wind up in the net? First Vidic heads Nani's corner goal wards for United, only to see it blocked on the line by his team-mate Tevez. The ball then spends several seconds sitting on the edge of Portsmouth's six-yard box, with Hreidarrson on the floor trying to hack it away and various United players trying to force it in. Somehow it gets cleared as far as Ronaldo on the edge of the area, but he rifles a low drive straight back in which goes this far wide of the left-hand post.

54 mins Muntari has a shot from about 25 yards out charged down by Vidic, before Rooney skies the ball from similar distance at the other end. Redknapp decides this is the right moment to haul off Kanu and bring on Milan Baros.

52 mins Nani gets off a sharp turn and shot from the edge of the D, but it's straight at James and easily dealth with. "The game's being shown live on Germany's DSF channel," says Francis Lee. "Otherwise known for hot-rod racing, handball and late-night topless bingo. The German commentator's trying his best to impress his audience with his extensive trivia knowledge, for example telling us that Redknapp once played in the West Ham side also featuring Lampard Snr., Hurst, Peters and Bobby, erm, Charlton ..." Topless what-now?

51 mins Ferdinand continues to strop as Atkinson adjudges him - wrongly, really - to have fouled Diarra as he pushed on through midfield. The free-kick is duly wasted by Portsmouth.

49 mins Kanu fails to control a throw-in on his thigh, sending it off for what should have been a United goal-kick, but which referee Atkinson decided should be a corner. Ferdinand is not happy, but Vidic heads it away without much bother. At least it didn't go over everyone this time.

46 mins Not sure what's happened to Van der Sar, but for some reason Tomasz Kuszczak has come out to replace him in the second half, which can only be good news for Portsmouth. Kuszczak gets his first touch in early as Hermann Hreidarsson charges down the left and loops a cross over to nobody in particular.

That prediction, then Yeah, I suppose 3-0 is looking a little unlikely now. United have been the better side but Portsmouth are actually doing a pretty good job of restricting their chances, even if United should have had a penalty and Rooney and Tevez really should have worked out a way to put the ball in the net after 19 minutes. Pompey have had a couple of half-chances of their own, but they'd be very happy with a draw and a replay at Fratton Park. They're playing well enough that they could conceivably get just that, but they need to stay ambitious and start spending more time in United's half, otherwise United will break them down sooner or later.

A teacher writes "I got up at 5.30am to follow the match and grade essays on immigration to the US and industrialization," says Kathleen Cope, wading into our getting up early riff. "Gratuitous mentions of boats leaving from Portsmouth and Cottonopolis earn extra points. The history of the world can be taught through football!" Erm ... Cottonopolis?

Peepety-peep And that's the first 45. Back in a minute or two with the usual half-time emails and thoughts.

45 mins (+1) Evra wins a corner for United after eluding a challenge from Nani (yes, his team-mate) in Portsmouth's box. James comes flying out to punch Nani's ensuing delivery away, but misses it completely, and is grateful to Distin for lumping it away from trouble.

43 mins Absolutely delightful through-ball from Diarra finds Krancjar surging into the box for Portsmouth, but Ronaldo does an excellent job of tracking back, and gets his foot in to block on the edge of the six yard box. Yet again the corner is about six inches too high for everybody and yet again United break rapidly, but this time Pompey are a little wiser to it and actually have a couple of defenders in place to break things up.

41 mins Portsmouth finally get the ball out of their half for a little while, stringing together 4,512 passes to the delight of their traveling support before giving possession back to United without really having achieved anything.

39 mins You just get the feeling there's a goal coming for United here as they continue to probe in and around the Portsmouth area. Tevez looks for Nani again, but Johnson is on hand this time to hack the ball away.

37 mins Tevez flicks the ball through to Nani as he surges into the area, but it's a little too far ahead of him and he never properly gets it under control.

35 mins Kindly Portsmouth fans are offering to sing a song for their United counterparts, but the latter are too busy being outraged after Utaka leaned on Nani in the box. On one level it seemed innocuous enough that it would have been harsh to give a penalty, but if we're being honest Atkinson probably would have given United a free kick had it happened outside the box.

33 mins I was just about to say things have calmed down a little here, but right on cue Cristiano Ronaldo dances into the area from the left and whisks a dangerous looking cross in that Portsmouth can only clear as far as Nani (I think), who puts in another cross which Campbell heads away rather more decisively. OK, so it wasn't that exciting in the end.

30 mins Tariq Choudry got up at 4.30 in the morning just to read this commentary, apparently "Why does Pompey's kit look like something off and east end market stal.... ohh," he parps.

27 mins Scholes squirms free in the middle of the box to turn welly the ball goal wards, but it's charged down by Campbell.

25 mins Amid all the confusion I failed to report Wayne Rooney getting a yellow card a few minutes ago for lunging into the back of Krancjar. Lively game so far.

22 mins Some scrappy defending from United now hands Portsmouth another corner, this time taken by Krancjar, and once again it goes right across the middle of the box with nobody getting their head to it.

19 mins Dearie me - what a wasted opportunity for United - Diarra had just put in a very nice corner for Portsmouth that barely eluded two team-mates in the middle of the box, when United broke at speed with Rooney and Ronaldo somehow finding themselves two-on-one with James. James came flying off his line to try to tackle Rooney on the edge of the box, but Rooney rounded him before Sol Campbell lunged in to tackle him, but only succeeded in nudging the ball into the path of Tevez. Thankfully for Campbell Tevez only managed to smash his shot straight at Glen Johnson, who had recovered to take up position in the middle of the goal line.

16 mins Niko Kranjcar thumps the ball goal wards for Pompey from about 30 yards out, but it's pretty much straight at Van der Sar, and he gathers it without any fuss.

15 mins Portsmouth play a little keep-ball in the middle of the park as they look to take a bit of the pace out of the game. "Any chance of a mention Paulo," begs Mike Houghton - who I really shouldn't have obliged given that he couldn't even spell my name right. "I'm stuck at work but my prediction is 1-0 to United (Scholes to score). I am mates with Alan Carr - will that help?" Clearly.

12 mins They've just been showing replays of the Ronaldo penalty shout and it really does look worse with each viewing - Distin was playing man not ball and really it should have been given. Papa Bouba Diop picks up a booking for another foul on Ronaldo.

10 mins Yup, United are definitely beginning to get on top here - now Owen Hargreaves belts a free-kick into the wall from a bit less than 30 yards out after Diarra had brought down Scholes.

8 mins And now a big penalty shout for United as Rooney picks out Ronaldo with a beautiful cross-field ball from left to right as the Portuguese charges into the box. Ronaldo gets barged off the ball very clumsily by Sylvain Distin, but referee Martin Atkinson waves it away with panache.

6 mins United come really rather close with their first real chance of the game, Paul Scholes heading just wide from about eight yards out after Nani had chipped in a free-kick from down near the corner flag on the right.

5 mins First email of the day credits go to Edward Taylor: "Oh dear - with his pensioner's forgetfulness, Fergie has accidentally fielded his strongest side for this meaningless cup tie. Did no-one tell him there's nothing at stake but a scratched old tin can?" Trying to antagonize, perchance Ed?

3 mins Portsmouth have actually opened pretty well here - keeping possession in United's half and winning the first corner of the game, which is floated just a few inches too high for Sol Campbell in the middle of the box.

1 min And we're away, with Lassana Diarra giving away the game's first free-kick with a hefty shoulder barge on Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese crossed half-way with the ball.

Right, I haven't a lot of time left now So let's get to the important bit - predictions. I'm going to say 3-0 to United. Because I can.

The worst thing about Portsmouth games on the telly ... is the way TV execs feel the need to trot out self-styled "best fan in the world" John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood to tell us how brilliant he i ... sorry, why Portsmouth have a chance of winning. Am I the only one who thinks the fact he changed his name, bought a bell and lives inside an Official Porstmouth Football Club Merchandise catalog makes his opinion less worth hearing, rather than more?

Team news Ryan Giggs is out despite rumors he had recovered from calf-knack, as is Pedro Mendes despite whispers he would be back after his ankle operation. Louis Saha had been set to start, but has apparently hurt knee during the warm-up.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Hargreaves, Nani, Rooney, Tevez.Subs: Kuszczak, Anderson, Saha, Carrick, O'Shea.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Diarra, Diop, Kranjcar, Muntari, Kanu. Subs: Ashdown, Lauren, Baros, Mvuemba, Hughes.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

Hello... I'm a little late. For a change.