Cambridge’s FA Cup run came to a spirited end at Old Trafford in their fourth round replay against Manchester United on Tuesday night. 

Goals from Juan Mata, Marcos Rojo and James Wilson knocked Cambridge out of the competition, but did little to knock the morale of their players or supporters. 6,600 Cambridge fans followed their team to Manchester – about as many as could fit into the Abbey Stadium for the goalless draw at home 11 days previously.

The kick-off was delayed by twenty minutes to give Cambridge fans extra time to negotiate the apocalyptic traffic on the A14 and M6. They were very thankful for the delay, as Cambridge’s best chance of the match came after just 51 seconds. Tom Elliot pounced on a defensive error from Daley Blind, his curling effort grazing the outside of the post.

Cambridge had held out against Manchester United for a total of 115 minutes (including the tie at the Abbey) before Mata flicked in Marouane Fellaini’s cute knock-down to give the home side the lead. A second close-range goal soon followed to make the Red Devils' lead secure, as Rojo headed home a chipped cross from Robin van Persie.

Cambridge remained resilient in defence, and only conceded once more – a classy solo effort from substitute Wilson, who dribbled from half way before drilling a low shot past Chris Dunn in the Cambridge goal. Following Elliot’s in the first minute, Cambridge’s next best chance came in injury time, as Cameron McGeehan flashed just wide of de Gea’s near post.

Cambridge were spurred on by raucous away support throughout the match, with hearty renditions of "Yellows!" and "Richard Money’s Amber Army!" alongside some classic taunts, including (among those repeatable) "We support our local team!", "Is this the library?", and, in the closing stages, "Is there a fire drill?".

An away trip to Preston North End now awaits Manchester United in the fifth round, after Preston scored three goals in ten minutes to come from behind to beat Sheffield United 3 -1 in their away replay on the same evening. Man United’s opponents have an esteemed history. Their ‘Invincibles’ team went undefeated in 1888-89, winning both the inaugural Football League Championship and FA Cup ‘Double’. They were League Champions again the following year, but their only subsequent major trophy was the 1938 FA Cup.  The Lilywhites currently sit fourth in League One.

The overall attendance of 74,511 – just a couple of thousand short of capacity – made this the largest crowd ever to watch Cambridge United. The U’s cup adventure has earned them around £2m in television rights, gate receipts and prize money. They now return home to the Abbey Stadium on Saturday for a League Two match against Wycombe Wanderers.