"It was hard to sleep that day" - Manchester United star reacts to 'extremely hurtful' defeat at the hands of Liverpool following UEL win

Manchester United winger Antony recently spoke about the Red Devils' 7-0 defeat against Liverpool on March 5 following the UEFA Europa League win against Real Betis on March 9. United were hammered by the Reds when they made the trip to Anfield for a Premier League clash.

The Red Devils, however, put on an impressive performance against Betis. They defeated the Spanish club by a scoreline of 4-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie. Antony scored the team's second with a spectacular left-footed finish to find the back of the net.

Speaking after the match, the Brazilian trickster forward said (via Mirror):

"We came from an extremely hurtful defeat and it was hard to sleep that day. But in football, you can't cry about the past. We know that result is never acceptable."

He added:

“It was important to show a reaction [against Betis]. I was very happy to see the fans showing their support. There's always 70,000 or more fans in this stadium, it's impressive. They are our fuel. We will put this club where it deserves to be."

Antony went on to laud Manchester United fans for showing their support for the team. The Brazilian winger said:

"Our fans are incredible. Even after the match at Anfield. We went to applaud the away fans and they sang back. It gave me goosebumps. I'm so happy to see them here giving us the same support, even after that unacceptable result. And they will be back to give us our fuel against Southampton on Sunday."

Antony also described how manager Erik ten Hag reacted to the result at Anfield and said:

"We know it's harder for the manager, as he's the face of the club giving interviews all the time. It was hard for him, for all of us, and we took it as a lesson. He was hard on us in the right way at the right time. But we're all facing what's ahead of us now. The group is united and the fans are on our side, that's the most important thing."

Manchester United are set to play Southampton next

Manchester United are set to return to action on March 12 when they take on Southampton in a Premier League clash at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are currently third in the league table. They have amassed 49 points from 25 league matches so far.

Southampton, on the other hand, are in the relegation zone. The Saints have only 21 points on the board after 25 matches. A positive result against Manchester United would be massive for Ruben Selles' team.