Lisandro Martinez hailed Bruno Fernandes and Antony following Manchester United’s Europa League victory over Real Betis, but has also warned his teammates that the job is not yet done.
United defeated Betis 4-1 in a lopsided first leg at Old Trafford to set a foot in the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
The Red Devils were hoping to bounce back from their awful 7-0 Premier League loss to Liverpool on Sunday, and Marcus Rashford gave them an early advantage with his 29th goal of the season.
Just before halftime, Real Betis pulled one back, but United took the lead again thanks to a goal from Antony, who out-shot former Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Fernandes responded to his critics with United’s third before Wout Weghorst scored his first goal at Old Trafford to complete a dominant win.
Martinez was pleased with Manchester United’s response to the Anfield mauling but warned his team-mates they cannot afford to be complacent ahead of next week’s return leg in Spain.
‘[In the first half] they started to play, take the ball; we were not good organisationally as well,’ the World Cup winner told MUTV.
‘In the second half, we [had] the passion, the energy, we showed our mentality and then we created chances and scored.
‘It was a great result for us, but we have to keep going. This result doesn’t say anything.
‘It was the first leg and when we go to Betis [Seville] we have to be ready, we have to be focused; especially in their home, they play really well. [But] we are happy [with this win].’
What Did Martinez Say About Fernandes And Antony?
Martinez also said he was ‘happy’ for Manchester United goalscorers Antony and Fernandes, who have been the subjects of much criticism since the astonishing defeat at Anfield.
The 25-year-old defender added: ‘He [Antony] is really good, a really good player with a lot of quality, his skills are amazing!
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‘I’m happy for him because [it gives him] confidence, which is very important, but I’m really happy [with] the job of the team.
‘I’m happy for [Bruno] as well. A lot of criticism to doubt him, but it’s like this when you play in a big, big team, that can happen.
‘But you have to be ready, accept, and we have to be happy with where we are.’
No player made more key passes than Bruno Fernandes tonight (5). He created as many as the entire Real Betis team combined.
Portuguese Magnifico. 🇵🇹🪄 pic.twitter.com/J6BZl9LiWy
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 9, 2023
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