Erik ten Hag responds to the ‘disgraceful’ backlash following Manchester United’s victory in the FA Cup semi-final.

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has expressed his disappointment at the negative reaction to his team’s FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry. He described the criticism as a “disgrace” and “embarrassing”.

Coventry staged an impressive comeback from being 3-0 down, taking the game to extra-time and having a late winner disallowed by VAR due to a tight offside call. When asked about the reaction to the result, Ten Hag firmly stated that he did not understand it at all. He believed that football is ultimately about results, and his team deserved to reach the final not just based on this game, but also their performances in previous matches.

Acknowledging that they lost control for a period of 20 minutes and were fortunate in the end, Ten Hag still emphasized the significance of reaching the final. He considered it a huge achievement, having reached two FA Cup finals in two years. As a manager, he highlighted that this marked his fourth cup final in four years, making the negative comments even more disappointing to him.

Ten Hag was also questioned about Antony’s reaction to the shootout win. The Brazilian player celebrated in front of Coventry players, cupping his ears, while some of his United teammates, including Harry Maguire, went to shake hands with the opposition. Ten Hag admitted that Antony was provoked, but he believed that the player should not have reacted in that manner. He also mentioned that he had seen Maguire’s actions and wanted to acknowledge Coventry’s performance, particularly their comeback after being dominated for 70 minutes.

Looking ahead, United will face their rivals Manchester City in a repeat of last year’s FA Cup final, which was won by Pep Guardiola’s side. Winning the FA Cup could potentially secure United’s place in Europe next season. Currently sitting in seventh place in the Premier League table, Ten Hag stressed the importance of winning every game and qualifying for Europe. He saw both the league and the FA Cup final as opportunities to achieve this goal.