Antony Scores Rare Manchester United Penalty Under Ten Hag

Antony, the Brazilian winger, has become only the fifth player to successfully score a penalty for Manchester United during the tenure of manager Erik ten Hag. His goal came during a Carabao Cup match against Barnsley, where he managed to double the team’s lead after Marcus Rashford‘s opening strike.

Recalled to the starting lineup, Antony took advantage of a through ball from Rashford and reached it ahead of Barnsley’s goalkeeper, Gabriel Slonina, who was subsequently penalized with a booking for bringing Antony down. Antony made no mistakes with his penalty, scoring his first goal of the current season by firing wide of Slonina’s dive. His previous goal had been in a match against Burnley in April.

Antony’s penalty kick is significant as it is one of the few scored by United players, excluding shootouts, since Erik ten Hag assumed managerial duties. The first penalty goal under Ten Hag was by Cristiano Ronaldo in a Europa League match against Sheriff Tiraspol in September 2022. Following this, Anthony Martial scored in a derby match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the subsequent month. Marcus Rashford also added his name to the list with a penalty during an FA Cup victory over Everton at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes, surprisingly, did not score a penalty until February 2023, when he converted against Crystal Palace in a 2-1 home win after a VAR decision. Since then, Fernandes has been a regular penalty taker, scoring five consecutive penalties, while Rashford has scored a couple more. However, with Fernandes on the bench during the game against Barnsley, Antony capitalized on his opportunity to score from the spot.