Newport 2 Man Utd 4: Red Devils ahead of League Two despite throwing away lead
For 68 minutes of a thrilling FA Cup match, Antony played the role of fancy Dan-fall guy to perfection.
With his bottle-blond hair, shockingly pink boots, tendency to roll around in mock pain and failing to score all season, Manchester United's £85million Brazilian winger seemed the perfect victim for a massive murder.
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Erik Ten Hag's side had thrown away a two-goal lead as League Two Newport County staged an exciting comeback.
But then Antony – who had not scored in 22 previous appearances this season after being cleared to fight charges of assault and abusive behavior – grabbed the rebound as Luke Shaw's shot hit the post.
And suddenly Ten Hag was spared the job-threatening scenario of a cup humiliation, as a result of his latest disciplinary crisis.
Marcus Rashford's absence from the squad was blamed by the club on 'illness', but before kick-off the United manager had admitted his England striker was subject to an 'internal matter' which he 'should deal with'.
Rashford was partying in Belfast in midweek and after the Jadon Sancho and Antony sagas earlier this season, Ten Hag is struggling to cope with a side that lacks professionalism.
However, his team still plays in the cup, where they will visit Nottingham Forest or Bristol City in the fifth round at the end of February.
United took an early 2-0 lead through Bruno Fernandes and a first goal from Kobbie Mainoo, before Graham Coughlan's League Two side hit back with goals either side of half-time from Bryn Morris and Will Evans.
Before kick-off, Ten Hag was greeted by a Welsh men's choir who told him he would be 'fired tomorrow morning'.
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With this being the only success United can aim for this season, there was little doubt that Ten Hag would name his strongest possible line-up.
Far back in the mists of time, when things were still going well for the Dutchman, United reached both major domestic finals last season, won the Carabao Cup and finished second to City in this competition.
Casemiro was back from injury, with Lisandro Martinez making his first start since a long break.
In recent seasons the Exiles had beaten Leeds and Leicester, drawn with Tottenham and given Manchester City a very decent showing here, to build a reputation as one of the most dangerous underdogs in the lower leagues.
While the speed limit in this country may have been reduced to 20mph, United's start was definitely fast.
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Antony had already fired a shot wide of the far post before curling home Fernandes' emphatic seventh-minute opener.
The skipper fed the winger, who retreated to allow Fernandes to fire in a first-time shot that briefly silenced a raucous home support.
United went bonkers with it for a while, another great move that ended with Antony overfiring.
After 13 minutes the second goal came, Diogo Dalot dribbled down the right and passed to Mainoo, who sent his first senior goal into the far corner from the edge of the area.
After a week of intense excitement and media attention for the League Two team, this was exactly the start they would have dreaded – the tie seemingly over before dusk.
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Martinez soon made a long pass into Garnacho's path, with the Argentinian crashing a shot against the crossbar.
United's debutant keeper Altay Bayindir, who came on as a substitute during Andre Onana's brief absence from AFCON, was eventually called into action with a routine save from Will Evans.
County skipper Ryan Delaney denied Antony with an excellent block before keeper Nick Townsend pushed another Antony effort around the post.
So there was little warning that Newport would claw their way back into this tie, but on 37 minutes that's exactly what they did.
United failed to clear a long ball from Townsend and Morris chested down and fired home from 30 yards, his effort deflecting Martinez and leaving Bayindir helpless.
Suddenly it was 'game on', the crowd was lifted, there was extra snap in every Newport tackle and United looked nervous in defence.
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And two minutes into the second half, Coughlan's men stunned their famous guests with an equalizer.
Adam Lewis sent a low cross from the left and Evans, a farmer's son from Mid Wales, narrowly deflected Varane, a World Cup and multiple Champions League winner, past Bayindir.
The strange wizardry of this competition worked and the corrugated iron roof of the Main Stand rattled with the noise as every tackle and block from the League Two side roared.
Faith flowed through the Amber Army and their heroes were the first in every challenge as the spotlight descended on Ten Hag.
Antony was subjected to dog abuse from the home crowd, just before his moment of happiness arrived.
Shaw cut in from the left and flicked a right-footed shot against the far post, the rebound falling perfectly for Antony to tap home.
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After a delay due to a medical emergency at the Crows, Evans fired a shot just wide and the announcement of nine minutes of stoppage time was met with elation as Newport surged ahead.
But Rasmus Hojlund soon bundled home United's fourth home game to seal their progress and add a sharp edge to the scoreline.
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