A fresh angle has emerged of Manchester United forward Antony cupping his ears towards Coventry City players after his team’s penalty shootout victory in the FA Cup semi-final. The Brazilian’s provocative celebration drew criticism from pundits and fans alike, with former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor calling him the “most shameless flop ever” and “a prat.”
United had boasted a commanding 3-0 lead but the Championship side mounted a comeback and Erik ten Hag’s side barely scraped through, making Antony’s celebrations all the more nauseating. Ex-Coventry forward Clinton Morrison was also scathing of Antony, saying he needs to “concentrate on himself because he could be playing [in] the Championship next season.”
Antony’s behavior was particularly unsavory given his poor performance on the pitch. He replaced Alejandro Garnacho in the 66th minute when United were 3-0 up following goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire, and Bruno Fernandes. However, United then collapsed as Coventry scored three times to force extra-time.
Ten Hag’s men had a lucky escape when Victor Torp’s dramatic ‘winner’ for Coventry was disallowed by VAR for offside. After Casemiro saw an awful penalty saved, O’Hare’s kick was kept out by Andre Onana before Ben Sheaf missed. Rasmus Hojlund converted the decisive penalty to send United to the final.
It was at that moment that Antony darted off to celebrate wildly, cupping his ears towards the Coventry players. Most of United’s players, however, stayed behind and appeared sheepish. “Some of the United players and supporters weren’t going over the top with the celebrations,” said Roy Keane on ITV. “They were almost embarrassed to win at the end.”
Keane’s comments highlight the lack of leadership and character in the current United team. Despite their progression to the FA Cup final, the victory was far from convincing and Antony’s behavior only served to underscore the team’s deficiencies.
