Zlatan Ibrahimovic had the wherewithal to jump over the challenge but he could have been in for a very short evening if not for his awareness.
It took just two minutes for Manchester United to open the scoring against West Ham on Wednesday night, when the home side cut the Hammers defence apart early on.
https://twitter.com/TotallyMUFC/status/804055476929499136
A slick Henrikh Mkhitaryan back heel perfectly fed the ball into the path of the onrushing Ibrahimovic, who slipped it beyond Adrian and into the back of the net in the EFL Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.
Most fans were understandably focused on the ball as it dribbled over the line but Adrian's desperate attempt to close down the Swede prompted plenty of supporters to call for a red card.
In the below angle of the opener, you can see Adrian's right boot come up and land studs-up on Ibrahimovic's kneecap, which was ever so slightly hyper-extended midair.
But if the United striker's foot had been planted at the time, it's likely that a stretcher would have been required to take him from the playing surface.
He was lucky. So too was Adrian. And United fans were quick to voice their disagreement with the decision.
https://twitter.com/LieutenantSloth/status/804053242053296128
https://twitter.com/IbraCadabraUtd/status/804053287733436418
https://twitter.com/AdeFletcher/status/804053434630635524
https://twitter.com/ThatMUFCGuy/status/804053435658031104
https://twitter.com/DaveGarghan9/status/804053443740651520
https://twitter.com/POL1T1CS/status/804053641669656576
https://twitter.com/1985AK47/status/804053930292473860
https://twitter.com/jnshfz/status/804054023091474432
https://twitter.com/SamRedDevil/status/804054128641110016
https://twitter.com/neilmonnery/status/804054404756361216
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