Why did Antony come in at halftime for Manchester United in their comeback win over Barcelona?
On Thursday night, Antony scored from the bench as Manchester United recovered from behind to overcome FC Barcelona at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag praised Antony after he came off the bench to help Manchester United beat Barcelona in the Europa League last night.
The 23-year-old scored the game-winning goal, as goals from him and compatriot Fred in the second half overturned Robert Lewandowski’s first-half penalty.
Antony made an early impact on his comeback from injury after missing the previous four games, and his boss was pleased with his immediate contribution against a top team.
Ten Hag was not only pleased to see him on the scoresheet thanks to his brilliantly executed shot, but he was also pleased with the former Ajax ace’s forthright attitude to the proceedings.
Antony nets his sixth goal of the season and it's πππππππππ Manchester United in the tie π₯#UEL pic.twitter.com/7uCji7ezQc
— SuperSport Football β½οΈ (@SSFootball) February 23, 2023
Why Antony came on at half-time for Manchester United in Barcelona comeback win
Antony scored the winner from the bench as Man Utd came from behind to defeat FC Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Erik ten Hag has hailed Antony after his huge contribution from the bench in Manchester United’s win against Barcelona in the Europa League last night.
The 23-year-old scored the winner, as second-half goals from him and compatriot Fred overturned the scoreline following Robert Lewandowski’s first-half penalty.
Antony made a huge impact on his return from injury after missing the last four matches, and his manager was delighted with the immediate contribution he made against a top side.
Ten Hag was not only happy to see him on the scoresheet thanks to his sweetly struck shot, he was also delighted with the direct approach the former Ajax ace brought to the proceedings.
“I know he can deal with it (the pressure),” he said in his post-match press conference. “He is brave, he is fearless, so I think what he brought second half was what we needed, running in behind and dribbles and his goal. He is brave and will go with it and when he has the opportunity he will shoot.”
Ten Hag’s team delivered yet another statement performance as they continue to make significant improvement this season, but the Dutch manager isn’t getting carried away just yet.
United have yet to win anything, and despite facing Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final this weekend, Ten Hag wants his team to concentrate on the task at hand.
He added: “You need a strategy to build that but also you need results to get that strong belief. I think this is another step. When you can beat Barcelona one of the best teams in this moment in Europe then your belief can be really strong then you are able to beat anyone.”
