Erik ten Hag has hit back at criticism of Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry City describing some of the reaction as “embarrassing” and “a disgrace”.
United secured their place in the FA Cup final for a second successive season – when they will again take on Manchester City – by the skin of their teeth after edging past Coventry 4-2 on penalties.
The Premier League side were 3-0 up and coasting before collapsing in spectacular fashion with Coventry fighting back with three unanswered goals to send the match into extra-time.
Both sides then hit the woodwork before Coventry thought they had grabbed a late winner when Victor Torp poked home to make it 4-3, only for VAR to rule Haji Wright had been narrowly offside in the build-up.
United then came out on top in the shoot-out to set up another all-Manchester final at Wembley Stadium on May 25. But criticism of United's second-half capitulation against a side eighth in the Championship table arrived thick and fast.
Former captain Roy Keane said United “looked like a Championship side” during the game.
“I don't like what I see from this United team,” he told ITV. “They are hard to like. They play in moments. We go on about leadership and character, but I don't see any of this from this United group. My goodness, they rode their luck at the end.”
Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was even more blunt in his assessment: “I don't see how Erik ten Hag stays. It's just performance after performance.
“What is it about Ten Hag that makes you think he's going to take Manchester United forward next season? I just don't see it.”
The Red Devils are currently seventh in the Premier League, 16 points shy of a top-four spot and could even miss out on European football next season if they lose the FA Cup final and league results fail to improve. They are currently without a win in four Premier League matches.
United's Champions League campaign was over in December when United finished bottom of their group behind Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen and table-topping Bayern Munich after winning just one game and losing four.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Premier League game at home to bottom club Sheffield United, Ten Hag was asked whether he could understand the negative reaction. “No. Absolutely not,” he said.
“You asked the question: 'is it embarrassing?' No, the reaction from you was embarrassing. It is the comments. Top football is about results, we made it to a final and we deserved it not only by this game but also the other games.
“We lost control for 20 minutes, we also had bad luck, 3-2, 3-3. We were very lucky in the end, it is clear. Penalties was very good and we made it to the final, it is a huge achievement. Twice, in two years, is magnificent. For me as a manager, four cup finals in four years.
“The comments are a disgrace.”
Ten Hag also came out in defence of Antony after the Brazilian was spotted cupping his ears at Coventry players following striker Rasmus Hojlund's winning penalty.
Ten Hag accepted Antony was wrong but claimed he was provoked, saying: “That's why, this was a reaction of that, you haven't seen the provocation, only the reaction. But he should not do it.
“I have seen Harry Maguire straight after and others, we should acknowledge the performance of Coventry to come into that … and the comeback. Also see we are 70 minutes totally dominating the game by far and creating many chances.
“At 3-0 it must have been the game is closed but the return from their side was very good.”
Apart from the cup final, United have six league games left to play this season, starting with the relegation-bound Blades at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag is under no illusion what is required.
“We have to win every game,” added the Dutch coach. “That's what United stands for, that is our approach, go from game to game but we have to qualify for Europe and we have two opportunities in the league and the FA Cup final.”
Ten Hag could be without Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford for Wednesday's game although Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho are expected to be available despite picking up knocks at Wembley.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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BMW M5 specs
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