Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi does not believe Manchester United deserved to win their FA Cup semi-final showdown with the Seagulls at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
Following a goalless 120 minutes, United prevailed on penalties, winning 7-6 to set up a first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final against City on June 3. After 13 successful spot-kicks were shared between the two sides, Solly March blazed the Seagulls' seventh penalty over the bar, leaving Victor Lindelof with the chance to send United though.
The Seagulls, who will face United again in just over a week's time, welcoming Erik ten Hag's side to the Amex Stadium on May 4, were the better side for long spells of the contest, particularly for the first hour of regulation time. The closest they came to scoring was when Danny Welbeck headed over from a corner at the start of the second half.
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And it is clear that De Zerbi, who has overseen a fantastic job since succeeding Graham Potter as Brighton boss back in September, felt his side would have been more worthy of a place in the final, claiming that penalty shootouts often see the side that did not do enough to win the game come out on top.
"It's football," said De Zerbi. "We are disappointed and very sad.
"We played a great game. We have a lot of injuries and we suffered due to this situation. It's sad for us and for our fans.
"Usually in penalties the winner is the one who doesn't deserve it. We made some mistakes in the final pass around the goal area but I'm really pleased with the performance from my players.
"We have to close this page and think about the next game on Wednesday in Nottingham [vs Forest]. We have a lot of games and want to get into Europe."
United have failed to win each of their last three tussles with the Seagulls outside of a penalty shootout, losing each of their last two league meetings. They lost 4-0 at the Amex Stadium towards the end of last season before losing 2-1 at Old Trafford on the opening day of this season.
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