Manchester United were able to come from behind and beat Fulham in the FA Cup because of the mentality that Erik ten Hag has instilled in the players, according to Marcel Sabitzer.
United beat Fulham 3-1 on Sunday to book an FA Cup semi-final match against Brighton at Wembley. Aleksandar Mitrovic put the away side ahead at Old Trafford before the match turned on its head in a chaotic few minutes.
Willian was sent off for handballing on the line to stop Jadon Sancho’s shot going in before Mitrovic followed him down the tunnel for pushing the referee. Fulham boss Marco Silva was also given his marching orders before Bruno Fernandes tucked away the resulting penalty.
Sabitzer flicked in at the near post to score his first United goal and make it 2-1 straight after as Fulham imploded. Fernandes blasted in another goal in the closing stages against nine men to seal the win for Ten Hag’s side, who had been outplayed for much of the tie.
Sabitzer has only been with the squad since joining on loan from Bayern Munich in January, but he feels that something special is brewing. While the comeback owed much to a few moments of madness from the opposition, the Austrian was quick to praise the mindset of his team-mates.
“I think we played a good first half. We had some chances, missed it. But after the half time, we came out and conceded a goal and that is not what we wanted,” he told ITV.
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“So we know at this time it was going to be tough and hard. But, we still believed it and we had good team spirit and mentality that you can always see on the pitch. The fans were amazing and pushed us forward and were very happy we did it.
“To be fair, I have to say to be two men down for Fulham, it wasn’t easy. So it was a little easier for us. But we have a good team spirit, a good group of guys.
“You can see and feel it in the dressing room, on the pitch, off the pitch. We worked together, close. We stick together all the time. We were very happy about it.”
After praising David de Gea for keeping them in the tie with some crucial saves, Ten Hag himself made a similar point, telling ITV: “This team has great character. We are mentally and physically fit, and I’m happy with our progress as a team.”
He was also delighted with Sabitzer’s impact on his first start since picking up a knock earlier in the month. “He had a great performance,” Ten Hag said. “We are glad he is back from injury.
“We will be playing a game every three days between now and the end of the season so we need as many fit players as possible.”
