Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has slammed his team’s performance as “naive” following their dramatic FA Cup semi-final win over Championship side Coventry City. United squandered a three-goal lead in the final 20 minutes of normal time, allowing Coventry to force extra-time and penalties, before eventually prevailing in the shootout. Maguire, who scored United’s second goal, was critical of his team’s complacency and lack of responsibility in the latter stages of the match. “We started the game so well and were comfortable for 70 minutes, then the goal came from nowhere,” Maguire said. “It was a soft goal to give away and far too naive from ourselves to be that open when we’re 3-0 up with 20 minutes to play. We didn’t take responsibility in those last 20 minutes of the game.” While United managed to squeeze through to the final, Maguire acknowledged their poor performance and the need for improvement “In the end, you’re probably just feeling a little bit of relief,” he said. “And yeah, I don’t think we needed to celebrate too hard. We let ourselves down in the last 20 minutes of normal time, and to play for this club involves bringing huge responsibility. We didn’t take responsibility in those last 20 minutes of the game, so yeah, we were disappointed on that behalf.” United manager Erik ten Hag defended Antony’s controversial celebration after the match, claiming the Brazilian had been provoked by Coventry’s players. However, Ten Hag also admitted that United “lost control” during the latter stages of the game and were “very lucky in the end.” “We deserved to make it to the final, not only by this game but also the other games,” Ten Hag said. “We lost control for 20 minutes, also we had bad luck at 3-2, 3-3. We were very lucky in the end.” United will now face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on April 30, a repeat of last year’s showpiece. Maguire knows that his team will need to improve significantly if they want to lift the trophy. “The boys are really happy we’ve made it to the cup final,” he said. “But like I said, the way the game ended, we were disappointed with the way we acted and played in that last 20 minutes and then even in extra-time. We didn’t play to the level that we should have so on that behalf, yeah, it was disappointing.” Despite the criticism, United reached their second cup final under Ten Hag, who has already won the Carabao Cup this season. The Dutchman will be hoping his team can put in a more convincing performance in the final against City and secure their first piece of major silverware since 2017.
Maguire Slams United’s ‘Naive’ Performance After Semi-Final Scare
