Antony has earned high praise for his showing and impact off the bench in Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph last night.
The winger has endured a lacklustre sophomore campaign at Old Trafford thus far, which has seen him drop out of the starting 11 and be replaced by 19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho.
Antony has yet to be named in a Premier League 11 this calendar year, with his only two starts coming in the fourth and fifth round of the FA Cup against Newport County and Nottingham Forest respectively.
He may have given Erik ten Hag something to consider now, though, as against Liverpool in the quarters, he was one pivotal difference-maker. The Brazilian entered the fold in the 71st minute as United trailed 2-1, replacing returnee Rasmus Hojlund in an attempt to refresh the manager’s attacking options.
In the 87th minute, he somehow managed to find the back of the net with a low, right-footed strike into the bottom corner, squeezing the ball through three Liverpool defenders in the process. It took the tie to extra-time, where he was then ordered to take a stint at left-back, and thanks to further goals from Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo, the Reds booked their spot at Wembley.
Antony receives plaudits for impactful cameo
Analysing the seven-goal thriller on The Rest Is Football, Micah Richards said of Antony: “I think it’s worth giving a shout to Antony because his time at Man United has not been great.
“But to come on and make a difference, not just getting the goal but his work rate, body language and attitude, I thought it was brilliant. It just shows you that it is in him. I think that’s why we get so frustrated with Man United at times because they’ve got the players, it’s just about that consistency.”
“If they can make Old Trafford back into a fortress again then they’ve got a chance of putting a run together between now and the end of the season,” the pundit added.
