Manchester United booked their place in the FA Cup final with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in a thrilling encounter at Wembley
Ander Herrera was the unlikely United hero, firing a 62nd-minute winner after Alexis Sanchez cancelled out Dele Alli's opener in a pulsating first half
Spurs pushed for a route back into the game but it was heartbreak for Mauricio Pochettino's men as the club's miserable FA Cup semi-final record extended to eight consecutive defeats
For Jose Mourinho, who will return to Wembley for the final on May 19, former club Chelsea or Southampton stand between him and the fourth trophy of his tenure at Old Trafford
Spurs scored inside the first minute of January's Premier League meeting with United and Harry Kane tried to repeat the feat in a blistering start, only to see a 20-yard shot deflect behind for a corner
United steadied after the early Spurs onslaught only to fall victim to a clinical 11th-minute attack as Christian Eriksen was played in behind the advanced Ashley Young and crossed to set up Alli for the simplest of tap-ins
Such was the intensity of Spurs' pressure, United looked on the brink of capitulation, and Kane came within inches of doubling their lead on 14 minutes but he could not stretch enough to connect with Heung-Min Son's deep cross
United settled again and hit back midway through the half as Paul Pogba outmuscled Mousa Dembele on the left wing, picked out Sanchez with an inch-perfect cross which evaded the Spurs centre-backs, and the Chilean headed home across the stationary Michel Vorm
Just like Spurs, United missed the chance for a quick-fire second as Jesse Lingard diverted a Romelu Lukaku cross over within three minutes of the equaliser
Pogba's swerving effort worried Vorm in the Tottenham goal on 44 minutes seconds before Eric Dier's drive deflected cannoned off the base of the post
With the stakes so high, both sides approached the second half with trepidation
 It wasn't until the 58th minute that the first clear opening arrived, Chris Smalling throwing his body in the way of Kane's drive
United continued to ask the greater questions, though, and took the lead for the first time where Herrera arrived from nowhere to apply the finishing touch to a flowing counter involving Sanchez and Lukaku
United, aided by a raft of lengthy substitutions, then saw out the victory to reach another FA Cup final, Spurs restricted to shots from distance as their bid for a first trophy in a decade fell short
 "The players deserved to win
 When you deserve [to win], especially against teams like Spurs, it's even more important
 Both teams started very strong, very aggressive
 They were better than us, they scored and there was a period when we lost control in midfield
 But the second half was quite calm because we had the feeling it would be very difficult to lose the game and most probably we would win it
" "I have no regrets
 We competed and dominated in the first half
 It was unfair to go in 1-1 at half-time
 But in the second half they scored the game was competitive
 When you compete against teams like Manchester United it's always 50-50, and today the victory was for them
"It's never easy for January signings to bed in at their new clubs but even the most-ardent Manchester United supporter would admit Alexis Sanchez's start to life at Old Trafford has been underwhelming
 During his Arsenal career, the Chilean often reserved his best for games against Spurs or at Wembley, and a combination of the two saw him rekindle his form of old
 Having hauled his struggling side level, Sanchez set the tone from there on in what was arguably his most influential performance in a United shirt yet
Manchester United host Arsenal at Old Trafford on  before Tottenham entertain Watford at Wembley on 
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>