Mizgan Masani
David de Gea claims that Manchester United are on the track following the win over Brighton
David de Gea claims that Manchester United are on the track after the penalty shootout win over Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-final.
After fighting it out for 120 minutes with no goals scored, it came down to who held the nerve during the penalty shootout.
As it turns out, Solly March’s miss in the sudden death and Victor Lindelof’s conversion from the following kick were enough for United to reach yet another final of the FA Cup.
Erik ten Hag’s men will face city rivals Manchester City in the final in June. Here’s what de Gea when asked about that game and also why United are on the track this season (h/t BBC):
“It was a very tight game we played a very good team. Brighton play really good football. We are now in the final but we have another big game on Thursday so we need to go home and recover.
“They were great penalties. I was prepared as always. I tried to put pressure on the takers. There’s still a long way to the final but it will be a big game against one of the best teams in Europe and the world.
“We showed at home we can beat them [Man City] so let’s hope. We are on the right track. One trophy, another final and fighting for the top four. It’s not enough but it’s a big step from last season.”
De Gea redeemed himself to a great extent here, making five saves, after a shocking second-leg UEFA Europa League quarterfinal performance where we lost 3-0 (5-3 aggregate). He also tried to play mind games in March, kicking around the penalty-spot marking to indicate he was messing with the ground. The Brighton midfielder went on to sky his penalty as De Gea dove the right way.
In terms of what United have achieved this season, this has been a step in the right direction after what we witnessed last season. Ten Hag is doing the right things to take this team as far as he can and give them the best chance to lift trophies. They have lifted one, and there will be a double that in June.
Coming back to the game, it was a tight affair with Brighton edging it with regard to the football and the types of chances they created. However, United hung in there, showed experience at times and carved out a few good opportunities for themselves too.
After the disappointment on Thursday, the team showed great character to not fold in. Instead, they kept fighting for every ball and eventually got the job done.
More Manchester United News:
- Manchester United are interested in signing SL Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva
- Manchester United eye Chelsea shot-stopper Edouard Mendy to replace David de Gea
- AC Milan demand ‘huge offer’ for Manchester United target Fikayo Tomori
Talking about the final, it is a dream one for the neutrals. City could go in that game as English champions and waiting to contest the Champions League final a week later. While they are going for the treble to emulate what United did in 1999, it is up to United to stop that from happening now.
