Manchester United are set for a rapid return to Wembley following Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final victory over Fulham, with the Carabao Cup winners set to face off against Brighton and Hove Albion in the last four next month.
In truth, the Red Devils' were rather gifted a route to progression following a few minutes of madness from the visitors at Old Trafford yesterday, with former Arsenal man Willian seeing red for blocking Jadon Sancho's goal-bound effort with his hand, before both Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva were also dismissed due to their fervent protests.
With United having been trailing at the time of that subsequent penalty decision, it is fair to share that that frantic episode was crucial in Erik ten Hag's men sealing their place in the next round, with the hosts looking rather lifeless prior to the Cottagers' foolish implosion.
That is not to suggest that the home side did not also have a part to play in that late comeback, however, with the introduction of Antony, in particular, proving vital in sparking the Premier League giants into life in the closing stages.
How did Antony perform against Fulham?
It is not too hyperbolic to claim that the Brazilian simply "changed the game" as far as United are concerned, according to former Manchester Evening News writer Hesham Bilal-Hefiz, with the 22-year-old making an immediate impact down the right flank.
On a day in which leading scorer Marcus Rashford was 'unusually quiet' – according to MEN journalist Samuel Luckhurst – Antony proved that he could be the man to ease the reliance on the lethal Englishman, having dazzled in his wide berth.
The former Ajax menace notably drew a foul from Antonee Robinson after tearing away from the United States international, having shown a rare willingness to try and beat his man in that moment of magic.
It was also the £200k-per-week trickster's threaded pass that teed up Sancho in the build-up to United's equaliser, with that one of two key passes that the wide man produced in his 32-minute cameo.
The fleet-footed maverick's flowing confidence was also shown as he almost got himself on the scoresheet after producing a delightful, jinking run inside the penalty area, having also illustrated the typically tenacious nature of his game by winning five of his nine ground duels.
While the £86m man's tally of seven goals and one assist in 30 games in all competitions for the Red Devils this season is rather underwhelming, the win over the west London outfit showcased that he can be the inventive spark that Ten Hag and co are craving.
With the top-four hopefuls undoubtedly in need of those who can shoulder the goalscoring and creative burden alongside Rashford, Antony proved that he could finally be the man for the job.
