United winger Antony has also been criticised, external for his celebration following Rasmus Hojlund’s decisive penalty in the shootout.
The Brazil forward turned and cupped his ears to the Coventry players and fans – but Ten Hag says he was provoked.
He also pointed to the reaction of Harry Maguire, who turned and shook hands with the opposition players.
“He [Antony] was [provoked] and should not react like this,” Ten Hag said. “You have not seen the provocation, only the reaction, but he should not do it. I also saw Harry Maguire though.
“We should acknowledge the performance of Coventry, coming back at 70 minutes when we dominated the game. The game must be closed, but the comeback from their side was very good.”
Antony took to social media to explain his actions later on Tuesday, claiming they were in response to a Coventry player.
“The way our fans were treated by their player was not nice and I, in the heat of the moment, I’ve reacted to the provocations in a natural defence of my club!” he wrote.
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