by Wrexham and their Hollywood owners won’t get a successful Premier League tie in this season’s FA Cup after falling sorely short in the fifth round and a meeting with Tottenham.
The National League side, backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, would have faced Spurs had they won a replay against Sheffield United on Tuesday following a 3-3 draw in the original tie.
But Premier League hopefuls United are delighted to have knocked Wrexham out of the competition after a pair of late goals secured a 3-1 home win at Bramall Lane.
Wrexham had been in danger of upsetting another thrilling encounter when Paul Mullin canceled out Anel Ahmedhodzic’s lead from the penalty spot and then stepped up to take a second spot kick, having earned both.
Blades goalkeeper Adam Davies saved the second penalty brilliantly, however, and the Championship side settled the tie on a counterattack in the closing stages as Billy Sharp scored in the 94th minute and Sander Berge added a decisive one in the 96th minute.
Sharp was particularly enthusiastic about his role in eliminating Wrexham, having been frustrated with the underdogs’ attitude in taking on United, as he later explained.
“It was a great cup tie between the two games,” Sharp told ITV Sport. “[Wrexham] played excellent. I think they were disrespectful, though.
“There were some things before the match, thinking they were already over. I’m glad we beat them.
“They’re doing well in their league, we’re doing well in ours. I wasn’t happy with some of their players tonight, but we’ve got one on them. Good luck to them for promotion.
“Hopefully they’ve hushed it up now, because some of their players didn’t please me.
“I was a little frustrated at the end – I probably should have quit the game before doing that, but it’s one of those things. I wanted to win and go through to the next round.”
Asked to expand on his comments, Sharp added of Wrexham: “I wasn’t happy with the way they were as a club. Before the game, they were watching Spurs and they didn’t even beat us.
“We’re an honest bunch of guys and we want to go as far as possible in this competition. If we’re beaten in the next round, so be it. We’ll give it a try.
“I think they thought we were going to tip over when they came back. I think the ref helped them all night too. I don’t think he fouled me all night tonight, but it’s one of those things.
“I’ve probably lost my mind a bit, but I have a smile on my face because we’ve progressed to the next round of the cup and the boys deserve it.”
Deadpool star Reynolds tweeted: “So proud of these guys. And over 4,000 away fans who gave their all.”
McElhenney, the creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, added, “I couldn’t be more proud of those men than I am now. They gave absolutely everything.”
The owners were reportedly concerned by the sight of forward Mullin limping with injury, but McElhenney said in a second post: “Now let’s go win this fucking league.”
