diff --git a/src/material-experimental/mdc-menu/menu.spec.ts b/src/material-experimental/mdc-menu/menu.spec.ts
index 705d06dd2f2f..66a3fcef8dd8 100644
--- a/src/material-experimental/mdc-menu/menu.spec.ts
+++ b/src/material-experimental/mdc-menu/menu.spec.ts
@@ -817,6 +817,37 @@ describe('MDC-based MatMenu', () => {
       flush();
     }));
 
+  it('should sync the focus order when an item is focused programmatically', fakeAsync(() => {
+    const fixture = createComponent(SimpleMenuWithRepeater);
+
+    // Add some more items to work with.
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+      fixture.componentInstance.items.push({label: `Extra ${i}`, disabled: false});
+    }
+
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    fixture.componentInstance.trigger.openMenu();
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    tick(500);
+
+    const menuPanel = document.querySelector('.mat-mdc-menu-panel')!;
+    const items = menuPanel.querySelectorAll('.mat-mdc-menu-panel [mat-menu-item]');
+
+    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(items[0], 'Expected first item to be focused on open');
+
+    fixture.componentInstance.itemInstances.toArray()[3].focus();
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(items[3], 'Expected fourth item to be focused');
+
+    dispatchKeyboardEvent(menuPanel, 'keydown', DOWN_ARROW);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    tick();
+
+    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(items[4], 'Expected fifth item to be focused');
+    flush();
+  }));
+
   it('should focus the menu panel if all items are disabled', fakeAsync(() => {
     const fixture = createComponent(SimpleMenuWithRepeater, [], [FakeIcon]);
     fixture.componentInstance.items.forEach(item => item.disabled = true);
@@ -2454,6 +2485,7 @@ class MenuWithCheckboxItems {
 class SimpleMenuWithRepeater {
   @ViewChild(MatMenuTrigger) trigger: MatMenuTrigger;
   @ViewChild(MatMenu) menu: MatMenu;
+  @ViewChildren(MatMenuItem) itemInstances: QueryList<MatMenuItem>;
   items = [{label: 'Pizza', disabled: false}, {label: 'Pasta', disabled: false}];
 }
 
diff --git a/src/material/menu/menu-item.ts b/src/material/menu/menu-item.ts
index 16dedaddcf2f..60a6f86be4c6 100644
--- a/src/material/menu/menu-item.ts
+++ b/src/material/menu/menu-item.ts
@@ -66,6 +66,9 @@ export class MatMenuItem extends _MatMenuItemMixinBase
   /** Stream that emits when the menu item is hovered. */
   readonly _hovered: Subject<MatMenuItem> = new Subject<MatMenuItem>();
 
+  /** Stream that emits when the menu item is focused. */
+  readonly _focused = new Subject<MatMenuItem>();
+
   /** Whether the menu item is highlighted. */
   _highlighted: boolean = false;
 
@@ -102,6 +105,8 @@ export class MatMenuItem extends _MatMenuItemMixinBase
     } else {
       this._getHostElement().focus(options);
     }
+
+    this._focused.next(this);
   }
 
   ngOnDestroy() {
@@ -114,6 +119,7 @@ export class MatMenuItem extends _MatMenuItemMixinBase
     }
 
     this._hovered.complete();
+    this._focused.complete();
   }
 
   /** Used to set the `tabindex`. */
diff --git a/src/material/menu/menu.spec.ts b/src/material/menu/menu.spec.ts
index 5745781abc2b..b7cd743fd401 100644
--- a/src/material/menu/menu.spec.ts
+++ b/src/material/menu/menu.spec.ts
@@ -943,6 +943,37 @@ describe('MatMenu', () => {
         flush();
       }));
 
+    it('should sync the focus order when an item is focused programmatically', fakeAsync(() => {
+      const fixture = createComponent(SimpleMenuWithRepeater);
+
+      // Add some more items to work with.
+      for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+        fixture.componentInstance.items.push({label: `Extra ${i}`, disabled: false});
+      }
+
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      fixture.componentInstance.trigger.openMenu();
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      tick(500);
+
+      const menuPanel = document.querySelector('.mat-menu-panel')!;
+      const items = menuPanel.querySelectorAll('.mat-menu-panel [mat-menu-item]');
+
+      expect(document.activeElement).toBe(items[0], 'Expected first item to be focused on open');
+
+      fixture.componentInstance.itemInstances.toArray()[3].focus();
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+
+      expect(document.activeElement).toBe(items[3], 'Expected fourth item to be focused');
+
+      dispatchKeyboardEvent(menuPanel, 'keydown', DOWN_ARROW);
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      tick();
+
+      expect(document.activeElement).toBe(items[4], 'Expected fifth item to be focused');
+      flush();
+    }));
+
     it('should open submenus when the menu is inside an OnPush component', fakeAsync(() => {
       const fixture = createComponent(LazyMenuWithOnPush);
       fixture.detectChanges();
@@ -2442,6 +2473,7 @@ class MenuWithCheckboxItems {
 class SimpleMenuWithRepeater {
   @ViewChild(MatMenuTrigger) trigger: MatMenuTrigger;
   @ViewChild(MatMenu) menu: MatMenu;
+  @ViewChildren(MatMenuItem) itemInstances: QueryList<MatMenuItem>;
   items = [{label: 'Pizza', disabled: false}, {label: 'Pasta', disabled: false}];
 }
 
diff --git a/src/material/menu/menu.ts b/src/material/menu/menu.ts
index 1800ef1b1df4..ec48f2a2d2e1 100644
--- a/src/material/menu/menu.ts
+++ b/src/material/menu/menu.ts
@@ -251,6 +251,14 @@ export class _MatMenuBase implements AfterContentInit, MatMenuPanel<MatMenuItem>
     this._updateDirectDescendants();
     this._keyManager = new FocusKeyManager(this._directDescendantItems).withWrap().withTypeAhead();
     this._tabSubscription = this._keyManager.tabOut.subscribe(() => this.closed.emit('tab'));
+
+    // If a user manually (programatically) focuses a menu item, we need to reflect that focus
+    // change back to the key manager. Note that we don't need to unsubscribe here because _focused
+    // is internal and we know that it gets completed on destroy.
+    this._directDescendantItems.changes.pipe(
+      startWith(this._directDescendantItems),
+      switchMap(items => merge<MatMenuItem>(...items.map((item: MatMenuItem) => item._focused)))
+    ).subscribe(focusedItem => this._keyManager.updateActiveItem(focusedItem));
   }
 
   ngOnDestroy() {
diff --git a/tools/public_api_guard/material/menu.d.ts b/tools/public_api_guard/material/menu.d.ts
index 266ac09254cf..b3e4a75fb345 100644
--- a/tools/public_api_guard/material/menu.d.ts
+++ b/tools/public_api_guard/material/menu.d.ts
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ export interface MatMenuDefaultOptions {
 }
 
 export declare class MatMenuItem extends _MatMenuItemMixinBase implements FocusableOption, CanDisable, CanDisableRipple, OnDestroy {
+    readonly _focused: Subject<MatMenuItem>;
     _highlighted: boolean;
     readonly _hovered: Subject<MatMenuItem>;
     _parentMenu?: MatMenuPanel<MatMenuItem> | undefined;