Ruben’s reaction as Reds reach round four

Ruben Amorim was delighted with the fight and competitiveness his Manchester United players demonstrated to get the better of Arsenal and advance in the Emirates FA Cup.

The resilient Reds reached round four of the competition for the 11th successive season, after a thrilling contest at the Emirates Stadium went the distance.

United, who were reduced to ten men in the 61st minute when Diogo Dalot was sent off for a second yellow card, won 5-3 on penalties after the third-round tie finished 1-1 following 120 minutes of action. In normal time, a superb Bruno Fernandes finish was cancelled out by Gabriel’s deflected strike.

Catch up with what Ruben had to say in his post-match interviews with MUTV, BBC Sport and BBC Radio 5 Live here…

Amorim: The spirit was there Video

Amorim: The spirit was there

Ruben Amorim says he could feel the connection between his players and our fans at the Emirates Stadium…

OUR PERFORMANCE AND FIGHT EARNED US THE WIN

“Thankfully, the players were there. They fight, and what we talk about before the match is not technical or tactical, but this. We have to compete no matter the situation, and we competed today. I think they [Arsenal] had more chances, but I think we deserved to win.

“Arsenal maybe didn’t deserve to lose, but we deserved the win, with the way we played and the way we fought. It was really tough at the beginning and not having the ball, but without the ball you can control the game.”

I FELT TODAY WAS OUR DAY

“We had the feeling that everything in the end would be okay – I felt that since the beginning of the second half. Even after the penalty, I felt that and I think the Arsenal team maybe felt that today wouldn’t be their day. But I’m really pleased for the way we controlled the game without the ball, and with set-pieces, we were really strong.”

GROWING CONNECTIONS

“The spirit was there even with 10 men. I think the connection between the team on the pitch and the fans outside was a really good thing to feel. I think we are improving on that and I think that is the base of everything. Now the rest will come but that connection, we are fighting. I think our supporters understand sometimes the results, they don’t understand sometimes when we don’t give everything. Today, and the last game, we did everything to win the match. Our relationship between staff, players and fans is improving.”

BAYINDIR IS OUR HERO

“Altay had a difficult game against Tottenham [in the Carabao Cup], but continued to do the same things in training, maybe without a smile, but he continued to work and today he is our hero.”

I WILL KEEP CHALLENGING THE PLAYERS

“I believe in them every time. I want to push them. Sometimes I challenge them and they don’t like because they are not used to it, but I will continue to do that. I will defend them if they play like this and this team will improve. But now, let’s focus on the next game. We need to win the next game with a good environment and to show the same spirit we showed against Liverpool and Arsenal.”

WE ARE IMPROVING DEFENSIVELY

“Yes [we are improving] because we were facing a great team, and it wasn’t just 90 minutes, it was more than that. You felt that the players were really tired, and it felt like a sacrifice for my players, but we deserved to pass through this round because we suffered together.”

PLEASED FOR ZIRKZEE

“Joshua is a good guy. Life has this beautiful thing where he had a difficult moment [against Newcastle] and today he was a game changer for us.

“All the players in this team will have an opportunity, and all of them are lucky because they play for Manchester United.

“It doesn’t matter if you have one game or 90 games, it is always a joy to play for this club.”

“Now my focus is on Southampton, to prepare this game, to recover the players and we need to win the next game.”

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