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Luke Shaw has admitted that Manchester United players struggled in their 3-1 win over Fulham in the FA Cup. The left-back believes fatigue has become an issue for them, and thus they are not at their best.
Manchester United made it through to the semifinals of the FA Cup by beating Fulham at home. They were 1-0 down when the away side was reduced to nine men thanks to red cards to Willian and Aleksandr Mitrovic.
Bruno Fernandes scored a brace and Marcel Sabitzer netted his first goal for Manchester United to help them make it to the next round. Shaw was speaking to the media when he said:
"I think if we're honest, it wasn't our best performance today," Shaw said. "I think maybe you could see a bit of fatigue, we lacked intensity, we lacked energy and I think that showed a lot in the first 60 minutes, we were really struggling at times. Can't take anything away from Fulham, I think they're a really good side and they made it really difficult for us."
He added:
"But I think in these competitions, it's not always about how you perform. The most important thing is the win and getting through. We did that today and another trip to Wembley, which we're really looking forward to. When it comes down to the game, we all have to be ready, there can't be too many excuses [fixture list] but if you watched the game, you could probably see that [fatigue]."
Shaw continued:
"I think on the pitch, maybe the lads did feel that too. It wasn't our best day at the office, but the result was an important one and maybe a bit of luck on our side today, which we haven't had in recent times with referee decisions. It's nice to have a big referee decision today. He's [De Gea] always ready to make important saves he did that again today."
What next for Manchester United?
Manchester United players will now split for the international break. On return, they take on top-four rivals Newcastle United away from home.
The Red Devils are also alive in the Europa League, where they take on Sevilla in the quarterfinals.
