Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has praised one Manchester United star after the Red Devils’ emphatic 4-3 FA Cup win over Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag’s men booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals after playing out a thrilling contest against the Reds, with Amad Diallo snatching the match-winner.
Manchester United started off the FA Cup quarter-final tie superbly well and took the lead at Old Trafford through Scott McTominay in the 10th minute.
However, Liverpool rallied back and took a 2-1 lead into half-time after Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah both found the back of the net against United.
Ten Hag’s men continued to fight on after the break and Antony came off the bench and scored a crucial equaliser to send the FA Cup tie into extra time.
Harvey Elliott restored Liverpool’s lead in the first half of extra time before Marcus Rashford pulled the scores level in the second half of extra time at Old Trafford.
Amad Diallo, who came off the bench, punched United’s ticket to Wembley after linking up with Alejandro Garnacho in a sensational injury-time counterattack.
Richards praises Man Utd star
Antony has faced mounting criticism since his £82m move to Old Trafford in 2022, with the Manchester United star struggling to impress at times.
The 24-year-old Brazilian winger has only managed to score two times – both of which came in the FA Cup – in 30 appearances across all competitions this season.
Despite his struggles with form, United boss Erik ten Hag has kept faith in the ex-Ajax star and frequently turned to Antony as one of his main attacking options.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Micah Richards insisted that Antony was “brilliant” after he came off the bench and was impressed with his attitude.
“I think it’s worth giving a shout[out] to Antony because his time at Man United has not been great,” he said.
“But to come on and make a difference, not just getting the goal but his work rate, body language and attitude, I thought it was brilliant.
“It just shows you that it is in him. I think that’s why we get so frustrated with Man United at times because they’ve got the players, it’s just about that consistency.
“If they can make Old Trafford back into a fortress again, then they’ve got a chance of putting a run together between now and the end of the season.”
Antony on scoring for Man Utd
Speaking after the Liverpool match, Antony insisted that his goalscoring contribution in the FA Cup quarter-final tie was a “very important moment” for him.
“It was a very important goal, it gave us the chance to go to extra time and try to win,” he told reporters, as per Goal.
“Personally, it was a very important moment for me, I needed that goal. At no point did I stop thinking about it and working.
“It’s games like this that show our values and I believe this will motivate everyone for the season. It was a great game. Our team fought until the last minute.
“We showed the strength that United has in front of our fans. We have the possibility of winning another title for the club and we will fight for it.”