SCHOOL EDITION 24 APRIL 2024 - Flipbook - Page 28
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SPORT
WEDNESDAY APRIL 24 2024
Emirates FA Cup semi-final Coventry City 3 Manchester United 3
(after extra-time, Manchester United win 4-3 on penalties)
United ‘got away
with it’ to seal 昀椀nal
spot says Ten Hag
“
ANDY HAMPSON
E
RIK Ten Hag insisted he was
not embarrassed but admitted Manchester United “got
away with it” after edging
past Championship Coventry on
penalties in their FA Cup semi-nal
yesterday.
The Premier League outt were
given an almighty scare at Wembley
as the second-tier side fought back
from 3-0 down and then had a late
extra-time winner disallowed for a
marginal offside.
A thrilling contest ended 3-3 after
120 minutes and it was United who
ultimately prevailed, 4-2 on spotkicks, to set up a repeat of last year’s
nal against rivals Manchester City.
It was another highly unconvincing performance by United – which
may have increased the pressure on
under-re manager Ten Hag – but the
Dutchman tried to highlight the positives.
Ten Hag said: “I can’t say that
word (embarrassment) because,
at the end of the day, it’s about the
achievement.
“I see the mistakes we make –
we can’t look away from it – but it’s
not an embarrassment. It’s a huge
achievement.
“Even the big team from United, a decade ago, only achieved the
nal three times. We now have two
times in two years. So that’s a
Coventry manager Mark Robins
consoles captain Ben Sheaf after his
missed penalty in the FA Cup semi-昀椀nal
PICTURE: PA
good performance.
“I see we can play in very high
levels but in the same match we can
also go very low. That’s not explainable. It has to do with managing the
game.
“I have to teach my players,
clearly. We have to do better in such
occasions.
“On several occasions we’ve let
the result slip away but today we got
away with it.”
United had looked to be cruising
past an apparently inferior opponent
as they opened up a handsome lead
I see we can play in
very high levels but
in the same match we
can also go very low.
吀栀at’s not explainable.
It has to do with
managing the game.
I have to teach my
players, clearly. We
have to do better in
such occasions
Erik Ten Hag
with goals from Scott McTominay,
Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
Yet the Sky Blues, who are eighth
in the Championship, pulled one
back through Ellis Simms on 71 minutes and then threw caution to the
wind.
Callum O’Hare pulled another
back with a deected strike and Haji
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana and stiker Rasmus Hojlund celebrate
after their penalty shoot-out victory over Coventry City at Wembley yesterday
PICTURE: PA
Wright sent the game into extra-time
with a stoppage-time penalty after
handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Both sides hit the bar in extra-time before Victor Torp thought
he had snatched a dramatic winner
in the closing minutes, only for VAR
to rule Wright fractionally offside in
the build-up.
Despite the heartbreaking manner of the loss, Sky Blues manager
Mark Robins insisted there was no
feeling of injustice.
The former United striker said:
“If it’s the right call, it’s the right call.
I think he was a toenail offside, which
is disappointing. Had he cut his toenail, we wouldn’t be talking about
penalties.
“This FA Cup run will be spoken
about, certainly in Coventry City circles, for a long, long time.
“Whilst I’m disappointed for
everybody, we can’t be too down
about it. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with
Manchester United, come back from
3-0 down and almost won it with a
fourth, then lost it in a shoot-out,
which can happen.
“We performed like Manchester
United for that last half-hour and
that’s what I’m most proud of.
“This club has been in the doldrums for so long but we’re certainly
out of that period.
“We’ve just got to keep moving it
forward, which is why we won’t feel
sorry for ourselves.”
Chelsea 0 Manchester City 1
Silva: I went through many emotions
ANDY HAMPSON
B
ERNARDO Silva admitted he
had been through a range
of emotions after bouncing back from his European
penalty heartache with an FA Cup
semi-nal winner.
The Portugal midelder scored
Manchester City’s late clincher as
the holders ground out a hard-fought
1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley on
Saturday to book a return to the nal.
It came less than three days after
he had badly uffed his lines with a
poor spot-kick as City were agonisingly knocked out of the Champions
League by Real Madrid in a draining
encounter on Wednesday.
Silva released a lot of emotion
in a vigorous celebration after his
84th-minute strike and he revealed
that was culmination of a lot of factors.
He said: “After a very frustrating
week for all of us it’s good to get back
on the winning side and qualify for
another nal and another chance to
win a trophy. We’re happy.
“Wednesday was a frustrating
night for me. It was tough. First night,
I didn’t sleep much. Second night,
you sleep a bit better, the third night
you sleep almost the whole night.
“It is what it is. It’s football, it’s
our profession and we have to deal
with those emotions. The way this
team reacts is always really good.
Once again we showed character
and that no matter what happens, we
stick together and go for it.”
Silva – one of two City players to
miss in the shootout loss along with
Mateo Kovacic – was embarrassed as
he chipped tamely into the hands of
Bernardo Silva celebrates
Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin from
the spot.
He said that he had seen Lunin
move early for the previous penalty, taken by Julian Alvarez, and felt
striking down the middle would be a
good idea.
Silva said: “I was waiting, I wanted
to be the second or the third penalty
to see the reaction from the keeper
in the rst or the rst two penalties.
“And he moved early, that’s why
I thought the middle was good because in moments of pressure the
keepers, 99 per cent of the time, they
move. But he chose not to move and
fair play to him, well done.”
Silva denied a theory that the
delay to his penalty, caused by the
ball needing to be retrieved from the
crowd, had affected him mentally.
He said: “For me, no. My decision
was made. I was going shoot the penalty in the middle.”
City showed the resolve of champions to hang in and edge out Chelsea, who dominated the tie at Wembley. The Londoners were left to
rue wasting a host of chances, with
misring striker Nicolas Jackson the
prime culprit. They were also frustrated not to be awarded a penalty
after a Cole Palmer free-kick struck
the arm of Jack Grealish.
Veteran defender Thiago Silva
said: “I think it’s laughable. I don’t
like to talk about the referees, especially after a defeat as it looks like an
excuse, but I believe VAR could have
sent the ref to the monitor. If he goes
to the monitor and decides not to
give a pen, I’m ne with it, but go and
see it.”
Silva, 39, is out of contract at the
end of the season and promised to
reveal his future plans soon.
The Brazilian said: “You are going to know in the coming days. I
don’t want to say anything now after
a defeat, I’m sad about the result,
but sooner or later the news will
come out.”
