Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties by Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Calvin Bassey opened the scoring at the stroke of half-time, but Bruno Fernandes equalised after the break.
Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee missed in the shoot-out, leading to a heartbreaking exit from the competition.
Amid the disappointment, Chido Obi provided a bright spark after replacing Rasmus Hojlund in the 68th minute.
Wayne Rooney praised Obi during the game on BBC One (via BBC Sport): “The young lad, Chido Obi. What I like about him is he’s put himself in good positions.
“He is naive with some of his chances, but it is encouraging for Man Utd. I’ve been really impressed with him.”
Former England striker Alan Shearer also lauded the 17-year-old.
He said: “Obi has been a real handful. He certainly offered more than when Hojlund was on the pitch. He’s been a nuisance.”
Obi could have scored a dream goal
The United academy starlet was clearly an upgrade on Hojlund, who once again underwhelmed with a timid display in front of goal.
Despite being an isolated figure in attack, Obi still managed to carve out three shots.
The teenager could have won a penalty in the 97th minute if he had gone to ground but maintained his balance and fired a shot wide of the goal.
Obi nearly snatched victory for United in the 105th minute, making a clever run in behind Fulham’s defence before unleashing a shot that forced Bernd Leno into a crucial save.
He displayed his technical brilliance, completing all three of his dribbles with confidence and winning half of his duels in a mature display.
Even though he failed to score, Obi showed a striker’s instinct to put himself in good positions and create half-chances.
He is still raw but has made a case to start the next game against Real Sociedad.
His impressive 52-minute display against Fulham has given United fans a reason to back him over Hojlund for the starting spot.
Stats from Fotmob.com.
