Erik ten Hag hailed Manchester United’s young players after the Red Devils reached the FA Cup semi-finals with a dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool, declaring: “We have a team for the future”.
Amad Diallo came off the bench to score a last-gasp winner in extra time as United ended Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of leading Liverpool to a farewell quadruple in a cup classic.
Liverpool had one foot in the semi-finals when goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah put them 2-1 up at the interval, only for Antony to equalise three minutes from full-time.
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United faced more adversity in the additional period as Harvey Elliott’s deflected strike put Liverpool 3-2 up, but Marcus Rashford equalised before Diallo’s winner sparked wild celebrations at Old Trafford.
Diallo fired into the bottom-right corner after taking in Alejandro Garnacho’s pass and was then sent off for removing his shirt amid the chaotic celebrations as United booked their ticket to Wembley.
After the win, Ten Hag heaped praise on United’s young players for the character they showed in sparking the fightback.
“The first 30 minutes was the best of our whole season, we were acting as a team but then we got gaps between the lines and you can’t allow this against one of the best teams in Europe,” he told BBC Sport.
Tfw you’ve just witnessed an instant Old Trafford classic >>> pic.twitter.com/y35P0PTens
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 17, 2024
“They outplayed us. Then we made changes, we took risks and the players were wonderful. The attitude was great, there was a strong belief we could win this game.
“We have a team that is for the future. Coming up are players who are developing very well like Diallo, Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.”
United have been handed a favourable draw in the last four, with Coventry City up next after the Sky Blues launched their own stunning comeback to beat Wolves 3-2 on Saturday.
A repeat of last year’s final against Manchester City could now be on the cards for United, but Ten Hag is refusing to look beyond Coventry.
“I think it’s always 50-50 in any semi-final,” he said. “To go to the final we have to win against Coventry, and we will have to play at our best.
“We saw that Coventry have great spirit yesterday, a great mentality. We will prepare our best to reach the final.”
Buckle up, Reds: it’s Coventry in the #FACup semi-finals at Wembley! 🔴#MUFC pic.twitter.com/l6iM14tHw3
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 17, 2024
