Ander Herrera Caps Manchester United Comeback vs. Tottenham in 2018 FA Cup

Ander Herrera scored the winning goal as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to clinch their spot Saturday in the 2018 FA Cup Final.

Dele Alli evaded his markers to put Spurs ahead after 11 minutes at Wembley Stadium, but Paul Pogba found Alexis Sanchez in the box to equalise midway through the first half.

Sanchez was also involved in the buildup to Herrera's 62nd-minute winner and helped feed the Spaniard to beat Michel Vorm from 10 yards out and send United into the final.

United will discover their FA Cup final opponent Sunday when the spotlight returns to Wembley for Chelsea's meeting against Southampton. The two teams met last Saturday, when the Blues came back from two goals down to win 3-2 at St Mary's Stadium.

United Flops Turned Fearless

Stars will be largely judged on their performances in big fixtures, and after enduring their shares of criticism throughout this season, Pogba and Sanchez came good in overcoming a sturdy FA Cup foe Saturday.

It was symbolic that Pogba stripped Mousa Dembele—Tottenham's Mr. Consistent renowned for his ball retention—of possession before delivering an inch-perfect cross to Sanchez for United's equaliser, via BT Sport. Goal's Kris Voakes lauded the execution of the assist:

But it wasn't long before that we saw the Hyde to Pogba's Jekyll. Pogba was partly to blame for failing to properly track Christian Eriksen before he teed up Alli for the opener, although a mispositioned Ashley Young was the main culprit.

Writer Jonathan Shrager illustrated Pogba's ability to flip a performance in one sequence of play:

Following his recent tide-turning brace against Manchester City, where it was Sanchez who chipped in with two assists, there's cause to believe the highly paid pair are finding their rhythm as an attacking tandem.

Pogba is starting to exhibit the same kind of domineering, fluid control on fixtures that he once had at Juventus, demonstrated by his manoeuvring around Dembele at times.

The frustrating inconsistencies shown by both stars needs rooting out next, Sanchez's summarised by rapper Santan Dave after his goal:

Mourinho's FA Cup Salvation

After a glum home defeat to West Bromwich Albion sealed the Premier League title for Manchester City in sad style, United's FA Cup triumph was as big a victory for Jose Mourinho as anyone else at Wembley on Saturday.

Granted, many at Old Trafford might have envisioned bigger feats than a UEFA Europa League and the League Cup in Mourinho's maiden United season last term, but Sam Pilger hinted at the legacy being established:

It was a crushing blow for the Red Devils to lose out to Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, and City have been so far superior in the league by and large, but an FA Cup triumph would salvage much faith.

For all the glitz administered by newer faces Pogba, Sanchez and Lukaku, however, it all came down to one of the veterans already stationed at the club upon Mourinho's arrival:

What's more, we also now have a potential showdown between former colleagues on the horizon, per Men In Blazers:

Not that his place at the club was under much doubt in any case, but Mourinho will now be considered favourite to win the competition and restore some morale at Old Trafford.

Tottenham's Choking Point?

It's folly to deny Tottenham's rampant growth as a football force in recent years. The club has gone from two top-four Premier League finishes in 23 years to third and second in 2016 and 2017, respectively, a new stadium in construction and a growing Champions League presence, but one thing remains missing: silverware.

Then again, it could be that a curse on their fortunes in the FA Cup semis is to blame, per Squawka:

The club has come close under Mauricio Pochettino to mounting serious challenges on multiple title fronts in the past four years, but Saturday's defeat suggested they're still found wanting against the established elite.

There were no major player absences to speak of, a 1-0 lead put the fixture in their grasp, and the familiarity of Wembley, their home of the past nine months, meant excuses were difficult to spot.

The irony wasn't lost on Paddy Power:

Power tends to be cyclical in football, but Spurs will want to take advantage of their momentum under Pochettino while they have it lest they risk missing their opportunity to decorate the trophy cabinet.