“This would annoy the hell out of me” – Rafael van der Vaart explains why he wasn’t pleased with Antony despite scoring for Manchester United in 6-3 derby defeat 

Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart has criticized Manchester United winger Antony for slowing the game down against Manchester City.

The 22-year-old forward made it two goals from his first two Red Devils appearances at the Etihad Stadium thanks to a stunning 25-yard strike.

Antony's wondergoal made it 4-1 in favor of Man City after the Sky Blues blew their great rivals away in the first half and took a 4-0 lead thanks to some brilliant attacking football. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks to put Pep Guardiola's side 6-1 ahead in the second half before an Anthony Martial double for Manchester United clawed back the scoreline to 6-3.

But Antony put on an ineffective display throughout the encounter, with his superb goal his only real contribution throughout the 90 minutes. While on punditry duty for the game, former Real Madrid star Van der Vaart accused the Brazilian international of slowing the game down too much.

Speaking to NOS, the retired playmaker said::

"Have you seen Antony play today? He scored a world class goal. But with every pass he received he kept holding the ball underneath his feet while being 4-0 down, this would annoy the hell out of me."

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Pundit believes new Manchester United players are still settling in

The Red Devils were outclassed during the clash at the Etihad Stadium, but former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell has defended Erik ten Hag for the performance.

Manchester United signed several new players in the summer, including the likes of Casemiro, Antony and Lisandro Martinez. Campbell feels that those players may still be settling in to their new surroundings, as he told Football Insider:

“We have seen the good and bad of Man United. In certain games they have really struggled. But they also picked up four wins on the spin. It has been a really mixed start.

“There is a lot of new players there and a new manager so it is understandable to an extent. Right now, I do not know what Manchester United is going to turn up. Just when you think they have got themselves together.

“It is going to take a bit of time. If they were ever going to get tested it was going to be against that Man City team.”

Having won four Premier League games in a row, the Red Devils appeared to be gaining confidence under Ten Hag. But a crushing defeat against their great rivals will have brought their fans and players crashing back to Earth, as they now lie in sixth position in the Premier League table.