Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says his side's thrilling 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals can turn their season around as they bid for silverware and a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
"Every team needs such moments into a season and we never had that moment," Ten Hag told the club's official website.
🗣️ "WE'VE SEEN IT ALL...!!" 🗯️
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 17, 2024
...Including a 4-3 #FACup quarter-final win over Liverpool at Old Trafford, with a 122nd-minute winner 😅#MUFC || #FACup pic.twitter.com/FJPp532YyI
"This could be that moment where the team can really get the belief and the energy so that they can do amazing things.
"And I think when you can beat Liverpool in the way we did and you can beat any opponent. So it's up to us to prove that point. And I said also on Friday, and today we did.
"We put the pressure on Aston Villa and on Spurs, with lost points. We’re winning, from January on, but every game for us is a final.
"And we lost one final, against Fulham, when we can’t allow this, so we play our games our best if we want to achieve our goals. And that is; go into the Champions League and go for silverware.”
United will face Championship side Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on the weekend of 20-21 April.
The Red Devils currently sit sixth in the Premier League, six points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth and a further three points adrift of fourth-placed Villa, having played a match fewer than Unai Emery's side.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
34 | +21 | 66 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
32 | +16 | 60 |
| 6 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
33 | +1 | 53 |
Ten Hag's men are next in action on 30 March, when they travel to Brentford in the Premier League.
Klopp on missed chances & fatigue
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp bemoaned his side's missed chances as Liverpool's quest for a quadruple in his final season in charge was ended.
"We didn’t finish the game off and when you leave the door open away from home at Old Trafford, it’s clear they will get chances," Klopp told the club's official website.
"They could score the equaliser and Marcus' [Rashford] big chance at the end of normal time, so they can win it there. I see that, it’s clear."
Press conference: Klopp's verdict on Man Utd 4-3 Liverpool
Klopp also pointed to fatigue and injuries for his side struggling during extra-time.
"The problem is we didn’t even know who to take off. For a while it was alright, in 90 minutes everything would have been fine. But then with extra-time, it was like options were now not [there]," he explained.
“You just saw, we could have [taken off] Macca definitely, Wataru [Endo] definitely, Darwin [Nunez] definitely, Lucho [Diaz] we did then, Joey [Gomez]. They play all the time the boys and today, this extra-time.”
Liverpool are back in action after the international break when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on 31 March.
"We think about Brighton when they [the players] come back and we know who can play again and that will be tricky enough," Klopp added.
