Man Utd were sent to Wembley due to team spirit - Sabitzer

According to midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, teamwork helped Manchester United defeat Fulham in a dramatic comeback in the FA Cup quarterfinal on Sunday.

 

Aleksandar Mitrovic's goal in the 50th minute gave Fulham the impression that they would be playing in their first FA Cup semifinal since 2002.

But after Fulham's Willian and Mitrovic were dismissed, goals from Bruno Fernandes and Sabitzer gave United a 3-1 victory.

"I thought our first half of play was good. We missed a few opportunities that we had. But after the break, we returned and gave up a goal, which was against our better judgment, Sabitzer told MUTV.

We were aware at the time that it would be difficult. However, we persisted in holding onto that belief and always displayed strong teamwork and mentality on the field.

"To be fair, I must admit that it wasn't easy for Fulham to be two men down... (we have) a good group of guys. On the field, off the field, and in the locker room, you can see and feel it. We were close coworkers. Always sticking together, we
Sabitzer, who came to United on loan from Bayern Munich in January, described feeling "overwhelmed" after scoring his first goal for the team.

The Austrian continued, "I was looking for it, scoring the first at Old Trafford in front of these incredible fans. And that crucial one, coming in at 2-1, was a huge one.

The third-placed United, who are in the Premier League, will visit Newcastle United on April 2.