Antony’s incredible career revival goes on as Man Utd flop scores fourth Real Betis goal in ten games
ANTONY continued his incredible career revival by netting once again for Real Betis.
The 25-year-old was in action for his club in the Europa Conference League for their second leg against Vitoria Guimarães.
Antony had chipped in with an assist in a 2-2 draw last week during the first leg.
But in the second leg he turned on the style by scoring his fourth goal in ten games before later putting the cherry on top with an assist.
Betis took a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to a brace from Cedric Bakambu, who, like Antony, joined the club in January.
After the interval, Antony raced down the right, smashing a shot to the near post to make it 3-0.
Antony was assisted for his goal by ex-Real Madrid star Isco, who later got on the scoresheet himself after Antony repaid the favour by grabbing an assist on his own.
His goal and assist in Portugal last night brought his Betis tally to four goals and four assists.
This tally already surpasses his output from his last 52 games with parent club Manchester United.
Antony signed for the Red Devils for £85.5million in 2022 and had an electric start to life in Manchester as he became the first player in 50 years to score in each of his first three Premier League games for them.
Overall, he managed four goals inside his first ten appearances in all competitions for then boss Erik ten Hag following his arrival from Ajax.
But his performances began to wane as the season went on, and he never managed to find this purple patch before he was sent on loan to Betis in January to recapture his best.
Victory in the last-16 has seen Betis drawn against Polish outfit Jagiellonia Białystok in the quarter-finals.
Other big names left in the competition include Chelsea, Fiorentina and Rapid Wien.
Antony’s parent club Man Utd also enjoyed a strong night against European opposition, smashing Real Sociedad 4-1 at Old Trafford led by a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick.
It was arguably the team’s best performance since the arrival of Ruben Amorim, with the team registering 25 shots.
Their last-16 victory means they will face Lyon in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Antony’s next game will see him return to La Liga to face Leganes as Betis aim to break into the top five of the Spanish league – with Betis losing just once since Antony’s arrival.
Betis do not have a transfer clause in the loan deal with Antony, but it is hoped his strong performances will bump up his price tag for an expected sale in the summer.
Man Utd player ratings
CAPTAIN Fantastic rescued Manchester United once again - scoring a hat-trick as the Red Devils overcame an early scare to beat Real Sociedad and advance in the Europa League.
He was the coolest man inside Old Trafford twice as he slotted home penalties either side of half-time to put his side in control against the Spaniards.
Joshua Zirkzee was another who impressed as Manchester United secured a tie against Lyon in the quarter-finals.
But it wasn’t all positive.
Rasmus Hojlund drew a blank yet again. That’s now 21 games and no goals – the equivalent of over THIRTY HOURS without the £72m striker hitting the net.
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