Manchester United are through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, with newly-promoted Fulham set to make the trip to Old Trafford in roughly two weeks.
It’s the sixth straight home draw for Erik ten Hag’s men but United were made to work for it earlier on Wednesday night, with Alejandro Garnacho’s sweet 90th-minute strike against West Ham ensuring their passage.
Ten Hag made six changes from the side that won the Carabao Cup final four days ago and Harry Maguire, the captain, was one of the players brought in.
Speaking after the game, the skipper admitted that United were poor in the first half, suggesting the celebrations from ending United’s six-year wait for silverware may have played a part.
⚫️ The need to start better
⚫️ Alejandro Garnacho's impact
⚫️ Man United's growing relentlessness🗣 Here's what Harry Maguire made of Manchester United's win over West Ham…
🎤 @gabrielclarke05 @EmiratesFACup | @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/24KBfZn14J
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2023
“You can say so,” Maguire told ITV Football after the game when asked if United’s late win showed a winning mentality, as seen above.
“Obviously, we made it hard work for ourselves. We were poor in the first half, we didn’t get started. I don’t know why, maybe the celebrations on Sunday.
“But we can’t have that excuse, we’ve got to start better than that and we conceded a soft goal. Good finish by their lad at the start of the second half but it’s an amazing reaction.
“We kept fighting. And it really felt like we were pushing, it was coming and obviously, it’s a great matchwinner from (Garnacho).”
Maguire was also quick to shower Garnacho with praise but insisted that the 18-year-old needs to stay grounded and keep working hard.
“Very good,” Maguire said about the young Argentine. “He’s a young boy with amazing talent. He’s got the world at his feet. If he works hard, pushes every day, trains hard like he’s doing at the moment, he’ll have a big future.”
