‘100% Dribbles’: Antony made a WARRIOR performance on the day playing at left-back in Man Utd’s victory over Liverpool

Manchester United and Liverpool fought through an exciting seven-goal game at Old Trafford in their FA Cup quarterfinal on Sunday, with the home club winning 4-3.

15:01 19/03/2024

As has been the trend this season, the Red Devils had an early lead but decided to back off and allow the visitors to take the lead.

They made their lead count, as the Merseysiders led at the interval after two fast goals at the end of the first half.

The away team dominated possession of the ball and appeared to have all control of the game as Erik ten Hag’s team got off to a terrible start in the second half.

When Antony entered the game to take Rasmus Hojlund’s place, there was a collective moan across Old Trafford. The terrible form of the Brazilian has been covered in the media quite a bit up until now.

He hasn’t seemed confident, and given the money spent on him, there were rumors that he and his management were leaving the team in the summer.

As the clock approached full time and the supporters were on the verge of losing faith, the Brazilian created a magical moment by turning around inside the box under intense guard and firing off a low grasscutter with his weak foot.

Both the player and Ten Hag were relieved to have finally made a play when it mattered most, as the ball wiggled into the far post, sending the home crowd into raptures.

In his 49-minute cameo, the former Ajax player had 37 touches of the ball and finished with a 90 percent passing accuracy percentage.

The 24-year-old appeared to gain confidence following the late equalizer, as he also had two efforts go wide and one blocked.

Because the hosts were now ahead, he also finished all three of his dribbles. In addition to finishing all of his long balls, the winger had one crucial pass under his belt.

The boss went even more offensive after Anfield’s third goal in extra time, asking the Brazil international to play as a left wing-back.

He was excellent defensively as well, winning five ground duels and making one tackle, one clearing, and statistics sourced from Sofascore.

To guarantee a fantastic finish to a dismal season, the team and manager—who has stood by him in spite of INEOS’s summer plans—will be hoping the player can find the kind of form he showed during his Eredivisie days.

The winning goal was scored by another substitute, Amad Diallo, which advanced the Red Devils to the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley, where they will take on Coventry City.

It remains to be seen whether Antony can maintain this momentum. Right now, he’s playing for his future, so perhaps he can ignore the commotion and concentrate on the task at hand.