Man Utd will play Wigan away in the FA Cup third-round (Photo: Getty)
One of Manchester United’s most bizarre record-breaking runs has come to an end following the FA Cup third-round draw.
The draw for the much-anticipated FA Cup third-round – where Premier League teams enter the competition – took place on Sunday, with Arsenal vs Liverpool the pick of the fixtures.
United were drawn against League One side Wigan Athletic, with the match set to take place at the DW Stadium on the weekend of 6th-7th January.
But remarkably, this is the first time that the Red Devils have been drawn away from home in a domestic cup competition for nearly three years.
It brings to an end a 12-game run of home cup ties which was set earlier this season when they were drawn at home against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup fourth-round – a game they lost 3-0.
It beat the previous record of 11 set by Shrewsbury Town from 2017 to 2019.
United’s last away cup game was in March 2021 when they lost 3-1 to eventual champions Leicester in an FA Cup quarter-final at the King Power.
Man Utd’s record run of 12 home cup draws:
Man Utd 0-1 West Ham – Carabao Cup, September 2021
Man Utd 1-0 Aston Villa – FA Cup, January 2022
Man Utd 1-1 Middlesbrough [7-8 pens] – FA Cup, February 2022
Man Utd 4-2 Aston Villa – Carabao Cup, November 2022
Man Utd 2-0 Burnley – Carabao Cup, December 2022
Man Utd 3-1 Everton – FA Cup, January 2023
Man Utd 3-0 Charlton – Carabao Cup, January 2023
Man Utd 3-1 Reading – FA Cup, January 2023
Man Utd 3-1 West Ham – FA Cup, March 2023
Man Utd 3-1 Fulham – FA Cup, March 2023
Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace – Carabao Cup, September 2023
Man Utd 0-3 Newcastle – Carabao Cup, November 2023
This run does not include last season’s FA Cup final and semi-final and the Carabao Cup final which were of course held at Wembley
It also does not include the Carabao Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest which as per usual was a two-legged affair held at Old Trafford and the City Ground.
The 2023/24 FA Cup may now present the only opportunity for Erik ten Hag to win silverware this season, with his side struggling in the Premier League and, as previously mentioned, already out of the Carabao Cup.
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They could win in Europe of course, though their chances of making it to the knockout stage of the Champions League – or even the Europa League – hang by a thread.
United are bottom of their UCL group and must beat Bayern Munich and hope that Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw in the last match week in order to progress to the round-of-16.
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