Roy Keane makes surprise ‘lost confidence’ claim after Man Utd FA Cup win against Fulham

The former Red Devils captain delivered a surprise verdict as his old club moved to within 90 minutes of a place in the FA Cup final.
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Manchester United legend Roy Keane admitted he has ‘lost a little bit of confidence’ in his old club - despite watching the Red Devils reach the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon.

Erik ten Hag’s side put in an underwhelming performance for large parts of their quarter-final home tie against Premier League rivals Fulham and looked to be on their way to a rare home defeat when Aleksandar Mitrovic fired the Cottagers in front five minutes after half-time.

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But the Serbian striker played a significant role in his side throwing away a golden opportunity to reach the last four of the competition after he was shown a red card for putting hands on referee Chris Kavanagh just minutes after the official had dismissed Willian for a deliberate handball on the line.

Cottagers manager Marco Silva also saw red in a remarkable 90 seconds of action that culminated with Bruno Fernandes dispatching the resulting penalty to give his side a platform to build upon. Marcel Sabitzer’s first Old Trafford goal put United in front for the first time and Fernandes rounded off the win when he fired home deep in injury-time to set up a semi-final clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Despite the win, Red Devils legend Keane believes Ten Hag will be unhappy with his side’s performance and can understand why he would feel that way.

He told ITV Sport: “In the FA Cup, the priority is getting to the next round, but I still think the manager will be hugely disappointed with what he saw.

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“Of course, Fulham self-destructed, but United were so poor, it was unbelievable. It’s better to be lucky than good sometimes and they have found a way in the previous games, but this was all about self-destruct from Fulham.

“The home draws have helped them but yes, you get a bit of luck in cup competitions and United have had their fair share this season. I’ve lost a little bit of confidence watching them. A month or two ago, you’re watching them thinking they’re up for it but the last few games, it’s ok trying to play in moments everyone now and again but that seems to be they’ve got into some real bad habits.”

Keane also revealed that he had ‘no sympathy’ for Fulham and insisted Silva’s side ‘blew’ a chance to reach their first FA Cup semi-final since a 1-0 defeat against West London rivals Chelsea in April 2002.

He said: “It’s self-destructing with the incident, particularly with the penalty, the reaction of the manager and the players. Obviously it’s an emotional game, we have all been there but it’s just a mad 90 seconds and it’s cost them the game. Gabriel (Clarke, ITV reporter) makes the point of it’s not about United winning, it’s about Fulham finding a way to lose, so I have no sympathy for Fulham.

“They can get one or two plaudits but they won’t be getting any from me. They had an opportunity and they blew it.”