Manchester United will fight to derail Manchester City's treble bid: Erik ten Hag
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Manchester United players after winning the penalty shootout against Brighton and Hove Albion in the English FA Cup semi-final.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Erik ten Hag vowed Manchester United would “give everything” to prevent Manchester City from matching his club’s treasured treble after they beat Brighton and Hove Albion to set up an FA Cup final against their fierce rivals.
United won 7-6 on penalties at Wembley on Sunday following a goal-less draw after extra time, with defender Victor Lindelof scoring the decisive spot kick.
The Red Devils will have to find more of a cutting edge in the FA Cup final on June 3 if they are to beat Pep Guardiola’s City, who are targeting the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
City are favourites to win all three trophies this season after moving up through the gears in recent weeks.
Former England right-back and City youth product Micah Richards wrote in his Daily Mail column: “The first all-Manchester final for a trophy will be an unbelievable occasion. United won’t want to contemplate being beaten as they protect their own history. It will be epic.”
United remain the only English club to have won the treble, completing the feat under former manager Alex Ferguson in 1999.
They stopped Liverpool from winning all three trophies in 1977, winning the FA Cup final that year.
Ten Hag said he understood United fans’ feelings about their unique achievement and issued a rallying call.
“We will do everything to give them it, to give them the second trophy, everything that I have, everything that the team have, the staff have,” he said. “We will give everything to get that done.
“We can do it because we have proved it (2-1 win in January). It’s not an easy job. It’s a great team but we also have a great team and great players and we can beat them.”
The semi-final success went some way to banishing the agony of their abject Europa League performance in midweek, when they were beaten 3-0 at Sevilla in the second leg of the quarter-finals to lose 5-2 on aggregate.
Said United defender Luke Shaw: “I think it doesn’t put things right but it puts us in a good place to finish the season well because Champions League is a must for us and a Manchester derby now in the FA Cup final is an amazing game to be involved in.
“At the start of this week, it was the biggest week of the season. There was no doubt about it. A massive game in the Europa League and then of course, this. It will have defined our season. I think if we get knocked out both of them, then you’re right about the season (looking different).”
United are chasing a domestic double after winning the League Cup in February to end a six-year silverware drought.
United boss ten Hag, speaking after the nail-biting Wembley shoot-out, praised his team’s ability to bounce back.
“First we are physical, strong, we are mentally strong, so we showed the character and personality necessary... we were determined to win this game,” he said.
But the Dutch boss said his men must learn to change the script during tough matches – they have suffered a number of punishing defeats this season, including a 6-3 defeat by City and a 7-0 reverse at Liverpool.
“What we have proved is that we can deal with setbacks, we can bounce back between games,” he said. “But now what we have to improve is to bounce back in a game in difficult situations.” AFP
