John O’Shea hailed United’s travelling support after an
“amazing” victory at the Emirates sent the Reds into the Champions
League final.
United won 3-1 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate to secure a
spot in Rome on Wednesday 27 May.
“We didn’t hear our fans for the first five minutes because
Arsenal’s supporters were really up for it,” O’Shea told
MUTV. “Even when they got a throw-in the
noise was like they’d scored a goal.
“But then our fans erupted when we scored. Credit to them: to
come down mid-week, away from home… it was a special game for them
and they really played their part.”
Early goals from Ji-sung Park and Cristiano Ronaldo meant the
contest was effectively over after 11 minutes, although the Reds
still had to defend valiantly.
“We knew Arsenal at home would get plenty of the ball and
attack. But we had to be strong and confident in the players we
have. We knew we’d have to catch them on the counter-attack and
those tactics worked a treat.
“The game was done and dusted when we got the second, and
particularly the third. But Arsenal kept going and put us under a
lot of pressure. It was a dream to be involved in this game.
“Everyone was ecstatic [in the dressing room] although it wasn’t
quite the same as last year’s tense semi against Barcelona. This
one was won early so we were all fairly relaxed and recovering in
preparation for another huge game on Sunday [against Manchester
City].”
“Our fans erupted when we scored. Credit to them: to come down
mid-week, away from home… it was a special game for them and they
really played their part.”
John O’Shea