I'm not ashamed to admit that I was almost in tears after Martin Atkinson blew the final whistle. Yes, we had some luck but I can't say how proud I am of the players today. All of them dug in and defended for their lives and showed the team spirit needed to beat a very strong United side.
Andy Gray mentioned that you just as well start inscribing our name on the trophy after some of the fortune we got today. The ref waved away what looked like a blatant penalty when Sylvain Distin body checked Ronaldo in the box.
Pompey kept possession quite well whilst playing the 4-5-1 formation in the first half and forced United to defend a few corners.
However it looked like we'd concede when we were caught on the break from one of those corners and quick combination play from Tevez and Rooney led to the England striker facing David James on the edge of the box. Rooney tried to round his international team-mate but Sol Campbell raced back to challenge him, the loose ball broke to Tevez but his effort was headed off the line by Glen Johnson.
Edwin Van Der Sar had to be replaced at half time by Tomas Kuszczak and Kanu was soon subbed off for Milan Baros as the second half wore on.
There were more tense moments that Pompey fans had to endure in the second forty-five minutes with the main one being Sylvain Distin unbelievably stopping the ball on the line as Michael Carrick looked certain to score. James held him up and although his shot looked like it would trickle in, Distin rushed back and managed to get it away.
A few minutes later James made an even bigger impact by tipping Patrice Evra's rocket onto the post, whilst Sol Campbell made a vital clearance from a cross when it looked like a United player would tap in a goal.
It was these moments that made you think we had a chance of a well deserved replay, but then the unthinkable happened.
A swift counter-attacking move saw Niko Kranjcar play a nice square ball from the right into Baros who was brought down by Kuszczak in the box. The ref blew for a penalty, sent the Polish 'keeper off and Sulley Muntari blasted the ball past stand-in goalkeeper Rio Ferdinand to send Pompey fans mental!
My nerves really started to go having realised we were just over ten minutes away from a famous victory. The ten men of United piled on the pressure but Pompey saw it out with some more exceptional defending and an outstanding display of determination.
When the final whistle blew I felt something I haven't felt as a Pompey fan since we completed the Great Escape at Wigan. This result will go down as one of the best in recent times and we're now going to Wembley for the first time since we lifted the FA Cup in 1939!
David James, the back four and our central midfielders were simply outstanding today simply because of the grit and commitment they showed in the game. Harry Redknapp has to take a lot of credit too for getting the tactics right as Baros made an impact with his pace and will to chase any long balls whilst the introduction of Hughes and Lauren allowed us to see out the game more comfortably.
What makes this result even sweeter is listening to the bitter ranting of Carlos Quieroz and Alex Ferguson after the game.
The United assistant manager was complaining that the referee didn't do his job properly and that were lucky to win. Fergie enforced that view with his own moaning but started going on about how his players should have been protected from the oh-so-nasty challenges from the likes of Distin and Diarra whilst forgetting that it was Rooney who made the worst challenge in the whole game when he went in late on Diarra.
And of course we'll have to listen to United fans based in Guildford and Cornwall about how lucky we were and how their superstars shouldn't be losing to a "tin-pot" outfit like Portsmouth. Nothing like sour grapes is there?
And what's this I see? Barnsley have knocked out Chelsea this evening! We're the best side left in the competition now, we're now the favourites! It hasn't quite sunk in....
Today has been an unforgettable day for everyone involved with Portsmouth Football Club and things could get even better next month as we all anticipate Monday's cup draw.
Pompey Player Ratings
David James: 8 - Brilliant save to deny Evra and was always alert.
Glen Johnson: 9 - Superb goal-line clearance and had Nani in his pocket.
Sol Campbell: 9 - Bounced back from recent criticism with a simply outstanding performance.
Sylvain Distin: 9 - Unbelievable goal-line clearance and showed great strength and pace.
Hermann Hreidarsson: 8 - Stood firm against the United attack.
John Utaka: 6 - Gave his all but had no real impact.
Lassana Diarra: 8 - 100% commited and confident during a battling display.
Sulley Muntari: 8 - Excellent penalty coupled with a strong effort.
Papa Bouba Diop: 7 - Worked extremely hard.
Niko Kranjcar: 7 - Provided a threat on the wing and set up Baros for the penalty.
Kanu: 6 - Held the ball up well but had no major influence.
Substitutes
Jamie Ashdown
Lauren: 7 - Did his job well.
Richard Hughes: 7 - Added some steel to the team.
Arnold Mvuemba
Milan Baros: 7 - Changed how we went forward.