Manchester United player Antony has been slammed for cupping his ears towards Coventry City’s players after Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final clash.
The Red Devils entered the game at Wembley heavily favored, yet they collapsed during regular time, squandering a three-goal advantage against a team from a lower league.
Following their 95th-minute goal to equalize at 3-3 from a 3-0 deficit, Coventry experienced a tense moment as a dramatic late extra-time goal was disallowed for offside, and they also struck the crossbar.
United narrowly managed to push the game to a penalty shootout, where they triumphed and secured a spot in the final, thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s decisive penalty kick.
Immediately after Hojlund’s penalty found the net, Antony faced the Coventry players and cupped his ears, taunting the Championship team.
Following his actions, Antony quickly faced criticism, with former Coventry player Clinton Morrison commenting to the BBC:
‘He needs to worry about his own job instead of Coventry.
‘Some of his performances this season shows he could be playing in the Championship.’
Before the match, Antony made an unusual justification for his season’s performances, which include not scoring in the Premier League and only providing one assist in 25 top-flight games, despite his £86m price tag.
At the same time, Morrison cautioned United that they might face a 7-0 defeat in the FA Cup final against their rivals, Manchester City.
‘If Man Utd play like that against Man City they will get beaten by six or seven,’ he added. ‘Coventry have been fantastic. Man Utd’s penalties were outstanding and Andre Onana made a big save – credit to Coventry.
They got away with it and that is why the celebrations are not going to be wild. Man Utd have done the job and they now play Man City.’
In his post-match interview with ITV, United captain Bruno Fernandes expressed disappointment with his team’s performance.
‘We put ourselves in a difficult position because we had the game controlled and could have killed it but we didn’t. Credit to Coventry for what they have done but we need to do better.
‘We will never be successful if we win (only) the FA Cup. We know the standard of this club is much higher than we have been doing. We know we have to do much better in the League, Carabao Cup, European competitions. We know this club is much more than that.’
