Following the club’s loss in the FA Cup final, Manchester United attacker Antony has issued a strong statement.
In the first-ever FA Cup final between Manchester City and United, Ilkay Gundogan scored the opening goal for Pep Guardiola’s team. After just 12 seconds, the City captain scored the game’s quickest goal to put United on the back foot. However, the two teams were tied at the half thanks to a contentious penalty awarded to Jack Grealish after the VAR told the referee Paul Tierney to look into a potential handball.
Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot to give United the lead, but Gundogan gave City the lead back early in the second half with another volley that ended up being the game-winning goal. It meant that United’s season came to an end in defeat at Wembley, but winger Antony was eager to highlight the strides the team had made this year under Erik ten Hag.
In the Dutchman’s first season in command, United won the Carabao Cup in February and finished third. Reuniting with his former Ajax manager at Old Trafford, Antony was one of the club’s high-profile acquisitions last summer. The Brazilian international insisted that United will continue to advance this summer.
“Proud of our team!!” he wrote on Twitter, despite being denied a cup double. “A really challenging season! We are back in the Champions League after winning the competition. The following season, we’ll be even better! United is proud to be.
Due to the leg injury he sustained against Chelsea, Antony was unable to travel with the team to Wembley, leaving Jadon Sancho and Fernandes to fill the wide positions for United. Throughout his first season in England, the 23-year-old displayed a lot of promise, finishing the year with eight goals and three assists in 44 games across all competitions.