Manchester United ace Antony explains how Liverpool FC loss impacted him ahead of Real Betis win

Winger Antony has admitted that he found it "hard to sleep" following Manchester United's crushing 7-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds, who made the trip to Merseyside targeting a famous league double over their rivals, suffered their biggest defeat in almost a century, capitulating in the second half in dramatic fashion, conceding six times without reply. However, they bounced back at the first available opportunity on Thursday evening, beating Real Betis 4-1 in the first-leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at Old Trafford.

After Marcus Rashford saw his early opener wiped out by Betis loanee Ayoze Perez, United rallied in the second half to secure a convincing victory, thanks to goals from Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wout Weghorst. It is a result that means they already have one foot in the quarter-finals, ahead of travelling to Spain for the second-leg next week.

READ MORE: Harry Kane earmarked as United's prime striker target by Erik ten Hag

Although United quickly quashed any fears that they would struggle to get back on track after the weekend's events at Anfield, Antony admitted that the defeat to Jurgen Klopp's side took its toll on him.

"We came from an extremely hurting defeat," said Antony to TNT Sports. "It was hard to sleep that day, but in football you can't cry about the past.

"We know that result is never acceptable. It was important to show a reaction. I was very happy to see the fans showing their support. There's always 70,000 or more fans in this stadium, it's impressive. They are our fuel. We will put this club where it deserves to be.

"Our fans are incredible. Even after the match at Anfield, we went to applaud the away fans and they sang back. It gave me