Antony Breaks Silence on Controversial Celebrations After Man United Knocked Coventry Out of FA Cup

• Antony faced criticism for his controversial celebration on Sunday
• The Reds were surprisingly held to a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes
• Man United beat Coventry via penalties to reach the FA Cup final

Manchester United winger Antony has come out to defend himself against criticism following his over-zealous celebrations on Sunday, April 21.

United narrowly escaped embarrassment after beating Coventry 4-2 on penalties after the game ended in a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes.

Notably, the Red Devils dramatically let a three-goal lead slip in normal time as the Championship club mounted a remarkable second-half comeback.

After Rasmus Hojlund scored the decisive penalty in the shootout, Antony was spotted cupping his ears as if to taunt Coventry fans, who went through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the semi-final tie.

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Critics have since come for United’s Brazilian winger, but Antony refuses to apologise for his antics.

What Antony said

On X, formerly Twitter, the former Ajax man said:

"Coventry proved why they reached the semi-final. We seeked this spot in the final for our fans and we achieved.

"The way our fans were treated by their player was not nice and I, in the heat of the moment, I've reacted to the provocations in a natural defence of my club!"

Erik ten Hag also defended his winger at a press conference, saying Antony simply responded to being provoked.

The gaffer also slammed the reaction from the public and sections of the media on how United advanced to the final.

Coventry’s FA Cup run in

So is Antony right? Was Coventry a worthy opponent?

All factors considered, United is arguably the second strong test Mark Robins' side has been subjected to in the FA Cup.

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They beat Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday in the competition’s third and fourth rounds respectively, before knocking out Maidstone in the last 16, according to Sky Sports.

One of their stand-out results was when they dramatically beat Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 in the quarter-final to set up a semi-final showdown with United.

Tuchel could replace Ten Hag

Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported on latest transfer rumours linking Thomas Tuchel to the Manchester United job.

With Ratcliffe reportedly unhappy with Ten Hag's tactics, German press Georg Holzner says that the Bayern Munich boss is likely to replace the Dutchman.

Tuchel will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season after losing out on the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen.