Roy Keane has slammed Manchester United following their 3-1 win against Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday, claiming the Red Devils were ‘so poor it was unbelievable.’
Erik ten Hag’s side came back from going a goal down to secure their passage into the FA Cup semi-finals, with Fulham throwing their lead away after a second-half implosion that saw Marco Silva’s side reduced to nine men despite being much the better side until then.
Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Fulham the lead just after half-time, but with 15 minutes to go, shockingly appeared to shove referee Chris Kavanagh. He and Silva were both sent off for dissent, after Willian was also shown a red card for handling the ball on the line to prevent Jadon Sancho from scoring.
Despite the win, Keane admitted he was not impressed with his former side after the match suggesting also that Ten Hag will also be ‘disappointed’.
‘Obviously with the FA Cup the priority is getting into the next round but with United I still think their manager will be disappointed with what he saw,’ the 51-year-old told ITV Sport.
Roy Keane was not impressed with Manchester United following their 3-1 win against Fulham
Fulham had a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes left but conceded three red cards and a penalty
Willian, Aleksander Mitrovic and Marco Silva himself were all sent off by Chris Kavanagh
‘Of course Fulham self-destructed but United were so poor it was unbelievable.’
The Lilywhites had looked on course to hold out against United, but allowed the Red Devils back into the game, with the referee awarding them a penalty for Willian’s hand ball. Bruno Fernandes made no mistake in converting the spot-kick to bring the scores level at 1-1.
Taking advantage of Fulham’s self-destruction, Marcel Sabitzer went on to put United 2-1 up soon after, with Fernandes grabbing his second of the match in the 96th minute.
But it was a lacklustre first-half showing from United, with Fulham outplaying them on possession, goal attempts and passes in the opening term.
Keane, who made 473 appearances for the club, claimed that United seemed to have ‘got into some bad habits’, warning the side that if they turn up to play against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final with the same attitude they will lose.
‘I’ve kind of lost that little bit of confidence watching them now,’ he added.
‘I think about a month or two ago you’re thinking ‘yeah, they’re up for it’, but the last few games I’ve seen they have a real habit of, I think it’s OK to play moments every-now-and-then, but I think that seems to be their DNA at the moment.
‘And I think they’ve got into some real bad habits. It’s almost they’re turning up today thinking ‘we’re Man United, we’re going to win football matches’.
‘But if they turn up with that attitude for the semi-final, Brighton will beat them. Listen – it gives us a kick up the backside.’
Earlier on in the coverage, Keane had also dismissed claims that United were suffering from fatigue after Thursday night’s Europa League win against Real Betis in Spain.
That means the club are still on track to challenge for more silver wear this season, having already won the EFL Cup back in February.
But after the match, Ten hag called for calm and urged the side not to get too ahead of itself as they push to claim a domestic double.
‘One thing is important, don’t think too far ahead, go from game to game,’ the Dutchman said. ‘I think we had a really massive run. From Christmas up, we had 25 games or so and I think two defeats, the rest draws and especially a lot of wins.
Erik ten Hag’s side secured passage to the FA Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win against Fulham
Bruno Fernandes scored from the spot after Willian was sent off for a hand ball inside the box
Marcel Sabitzer (middle) scored his first goal for the club to give United a 2-1 lead in the tie
‘You see the progress in the team. This team has a strong character, strong belief, a strong determination to win games.
‘Today was an example of it. When you have a difficult period in a game, stay in the game, fight back and turn the game.’
‘We are definitely in the position we want to be,’ he added. ‘We battle for it, we deserve it, trophies will be won at the end of the season, we are in a position to win trophies.’
United will now progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League and the FA Cup where they will take on Sevilla and Brighton in April, but will return to Premier League action first and will take on Newcastle after next week’s international break.