Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was obviously a happy man as he saw his first team squad take an impressive and deserved victory over Manchester United on Saturday evening to book our place in the FA Cup Semi-Finals.
We grew into the game against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and when we found ourselves in control and the side most likely to score in the second half of the match, Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota proved that point admirably as they got on the scoresheet.
A pathetic VAR controversy overturned a red card against Victor Lindelof and Marcus Rashford grabbed them a consolation goal in stoppage-time, but the result was never in doubt. We were completely worthy winners on the night and we go through to the next stage of the competition for the first time in 21 years and there is now optimism we could in fact actually lift the FA Cup for the first time since 1960.
Nuno was clearly aware of our history as he referenced it in his post-game press comments, and his words should definitely boost the optimism of fans as our return to the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign simply gets better.
Speaking to Sky Sports our Portuguese gaffer explained that one of his greatest delights from the night was the reaction of the fans.
“It means a lot, of course. The FA Cup is the oldest competition there is. We played well and we achieved it with the amazing support of our fans pushing us. What pleases me more is that as I walk down the steps there are people telling me they saw the 50s and the 60s and they are still coming. To give them back this joy and see our fans going out of the stadium with a smile, with a lot of beer, of course, it feels good.”
Nuno and the team deserve a beer of their own for Saturday’s efforts as it was an excellent performance.
