Erik ten Hag got the Van Gaal and Solskjaer treatment during Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final farce

Unlike last year's semi-final, they did not light the Wembley arch red. That was the shade Manchester United players turned after their hollow FA Cup semi-final success.

Avram Glazer was asked for his thoughts as he walked through the mixed zone. If Glazer was not such an infamous mute his silence would have been deafening.

Some United supporters headed for the exit after Victor Torp prodded the ball past Andre Onana in the 121st minute. A friend was preparing to hit Wembley Way when someone shouted, "VAR." He returned to his row but clarified he did not celebrate United's progression to a 24th FA Cup final.

Neither did most of the players. Antony, who uploaded an Instagram Story on Sunday morning that misspelt Coventry as 'Covertry', turned to their players and cupped his ears. Antony should be sent to Coventry.

A €100million Brazil international goading Championship players over a shootout win is the defining image of United's season. This is what they have been reduced to.

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"I left and said I'm upset we won," the matchgoing friend messaged afterwards. "ETH will be sacked in six weeks, tonight just meant he wasn't sacked by 11pm."

Sunday was the first instance of VAR reprieving a manager. Torp's 'goal' left Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Amad on their backsides and Antony on his haunches. A dumbfounded teammate stood motionless in the Coventry third. Bruno Fernandes collapsed but picked himself up to convert the momentum-swinging penalty.

Fernandes, the last player to leave the dressing room, was among the walking wounded in the mixed zone. His wrist required strapping after a tumble and he shook hands delicately. His manager's position is more fragile.

Harry Maguire sportingly shook hands with the defeated Coventry players. This was a victory in defeat for the second tier club whose Premier League exile is about to extend to 24 years.

Andre Onana stooped to time wasting and then "tricks" during the shootout. That was permissible and his second yellow card of the afternoon unnerved Ben Sheaf before he endangered the United spectators behind the goal.

"We have a big responsibility," Onana told me afterwards, referring to the players. "Me, I start with myself, like I always say we are here to take all the bullets, you know?

"When things are not going good I will point fingers to big players, you know? Me, Bruno, Harry, we have big responsibility, of course. Everything was under control and in the end we gave away goals. It’s more us than other people."

It is rare that the losing team's fans remain long after the final shrill in an FA Cup semi-final. The west section was packed with sky blue shirts. The United end quickly emptied.

United fans booed at full-time to signal extra-time and booed Marcus Rashford. Another friend in the United end said some of the booing was aimed at Erik ten Hag. Louis van Gaal nor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer survived such treatment.

Ten Hag cannot and almost certainly will not survive this. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a late arrival in the royal box, was possibly more exhausted watching United put him through the wringer than he was from running the London Marathon.

There is no longer a credible and cogent case to keep Ten Hag. He passed the point of no return some time ago to make United a credible force again and now he is too far gone.

Reaching a second successive FA Cup final was "a huge achievement", he argued. It was "crazy" his position had been damaged by the performance.

Ten Hag's substitutions were crazy. He removed Alejandro Garnacho at 3-0 and Kobbie Mainoo at 3-1. More troubling than hooking United's best players this season was their replacements.

Going from Garnacho to Antony was like going from Giggs to Bebe and Christian Eriksen has barely played this calendar year. Then Ten Hag was restricted to players he simply would rather not play. So Amad was summoned once again with United not leading and then it was Omari Forson, the only remaining substitute with first team minutes. The four schoolboys were work experience spectators.

In my lifetime, the only manager whose reputation was harmed by a triumphant FA Cup semi-final was Arsene Wenger in 2014. Arsenal recovered from 1-0 down to take second tier holders Wigan Athletic to a shootout.

Arsenal were straying close to nine years without silverware and had been humbled 6-3 at Manchester City, pummelled 5-0 by Liverpool and thrashed 6-0 at Chelsea that season. The 'Wenger out' movement was gaining members every week. Arsenal ended their trophy drought in the final but were no longer a credible force.

What makes Ten Hag's downfall so striking is how progressive his first season was. Players crossed him at their peril, he hardened the United squad's mentality, imbued it with characters as much as quality and presided over an undeniably good season.

Yet United have regressed to the supine standards of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick season. Ten Hag is also no longer talking like a United manager.

"Even today, at 3-3 it’s crazy that decision," Ten Hag said of the Coventry penalty decision. "Then we should get a penalty to make it 4-3 - that was more a handball than the penalty we conceded.

"That happens many times. Chelsea two crazy pens, Liverpool penalty very debatable. It’s like a curse against us." Perhaps Ten Hag moonlights as the administrator of the Nottingham Forest Twitter account.

Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley and Habeeb Ogunneye departed the dressing room simultaneously. Louis Jackson was a few minutes behind. The defender had warmed up rigorously in the second half of extra-time after Maguire indicated he had an issue.

Scott McTominay walked gingerly through the mixed zone and Rashford also did not walk freely. Plenty of supporters would argue Rashford's gait was no different to his movement on the pitch.

Ten Hag's approval ratings have plummeted to an all-time low and so have Rashford's. It has been apparent for several months that a change of scenery is in the best interests of all parties and United need to find a market for the 26-year-old in the summer.

But never has the chant "You're getting sacked in the morning" felt so threatening and potentially imminent. There is a case for Ten Hag to be summoned to Carrington just to clear his desk today but United's new power brokers will likely show mercy.

Don't expect the arch to turn red on May 25.