Manchester United’s defence of the Emirates FA Cup came to an end on Monday evening, as the Reds were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Jose Mourinho’s men more than matched the Premier League leaders for much of the first half, but it was Ander Herrera’s dismissal on 35 minutes that proved the game’s pivotal moment.

It took six minutes of the second period for the home side to make their numerical advantage count, as N’Golo Kante fired home from the edge of the box, a goal which ultimately separated the sides.

Marcus Rashford, who came off his sick bed to play – with Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, and Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial injured, created United’s best chance for himself but Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois saved with his feet to set up a semi-final against Tottenham at Wembley.

“I don’t speak [about the red card]. I just want to say that I’m really proud of my players and Manchester United fans,” manager Jose Mourinho said after the match.

“Everybody can analyse from different perspectives but we all watch the match until the red card and after the red card. So we can compare the decisions of the two yellow cards, in this case with others which were not given,” he said.