Antony breaks his silence on controversial ear-cupping celebration in FA Cup semi-final… and reveals why he celebrated in front of Coventry players
- Antony cocked his ears in celebration after United’s penalty shootout win
- Erik ten Hag defended the Brazilian’s reaction on Tuesday
- VAR proved the Coventry winner right – those who wanted the technology got what they wanted! Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Antony has broken his silence over his controversial celebration after Manchester United progressed to the FA Cup final after beating Coventry on penalties at Wembley on Sunday.
The Brazilian was widely criticized for putting his hand to his ear towards the Coventry team when Rasmus Hojlund converted the crucial penalty.
And the Brazilian admitted to losing his cool after being provoked throughout the match.
“Coventry proved why they reached the semi-final,” he posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“We were (looking for) that place in the final for our fans and we achieved it.
Antony was criticized for his FA Cup semi-final celebrations
The Brazilian (second left) controversially cocked his ear towards Coventry players as Manchester United beat the Championship side on penalties.
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“The way our supporters were treated by their player was not pleasant and I, in the heat of the moment, reacted to the provocations in a natural defense of my club!”
Erik Ten Hag defended his £86million signing and also pointed out that Harry Maguire and other United players had behaved magnanimously towards their Championship opponents.
“He (Antony) was provoked, that’s why it was a reaction,” Ten Hag said. “You didn’t see the provocation, only the reaction. But he shouldn’t do it.
“Did you see Harry Maguire’s reaction? I saw Harry Maguire right after and others.
“We should recognize Coventry’s performance in that semi-final and comeback.
“We dominated the match by far for 70 minutes, and 3-0 must close the match. But the comeback from their side was very good.
United looked headed for the final as they led 3-0 on the hour mark, thanks to goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
Antony insisted he respected Coventry but lost his cool after being provoked.
Ten Hag defended the Brazilian’s controversial celebration, but admitted Antony should not have let his temper get the better of him.
But Coventry hit back, as Ellis Simms and Callum O’Hare scored twice in eight minutes, before Haji Wright converted a penalty in the 95th minute to send the match into extra time.
The Sky Blues looked to have won an extraordinary game as Victor Torp scored in the final minute of extra time, only for VAR to rule that Wright had strayed offside in the build-up.
