Sunderland stood less than two minutes from Wembley when United keeper David De Gea hopelessly fumbled Phil Bardsley's shot in the dying moments of extra-time after Jonny Evans had earlier put United level over the two legs.
The Black Cats could not hold out and Javier Hernandez's goal seconds from the end spared De Gea but subjected Old Trafford to the drama of spot-kicks that almost descended into farce.
In a blizzard of wild misses and fine saves, only three of the 10 spot kicks were scored.
Danny Welbeck and Phil Jones were off target for United while Sunderland's heroic goalkeeper Vito Mannone denied Adnan Januzaj and crucially Rafael, the stop that sent Gus Poyet's side to the final on 2 March.
Darren Fletcher was the only United player to score and Moyes once again cut a dejected figure as he walked off defeated at the end.
Before they could celebrate, Sunderland's magnificent 9,000-strong support suffered agonies of their own, with Craig Gardner and Steven Fletcher missing while Marcos Alonso and Ki Sung-Yueng scored before De Gea saved from Adam Johnson when he had the chance to seal the win.
Mannone had the final say against Rafael - sparking scenes of wild celebration among Sunderland's players and fans.
It was a triumph they deserved as their belief never wavered, even deep into injury-time, and a Wembley final will surely act as a tonic in their attempt to stay in the Premier League.
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