Jesse Lingard scores against Crystal Palace.

'It couldn't have been a better day for us'

Sunday 31 May 2020 14:00

Jesse Lingard has recalled his favourite Manchester United memories, which inevitably includes his spectacular Emirates FA Cup final winner against Crystal Palace in 2016.

Louis van Gaal's side were down to 10 men, after Chris Smalling's sending off, but won 2-1 after extra-time, thanks to an explosive volley from Lingard. With the competition set to resume next month, as United face Norwich City in the quarter-finals, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are hopeful of lifting the trophy for the first time since that wonderful occasion at Wembley.

The homegrown talent's contribution on the big stage will forever be remembered and he explained why it was so special, also, for two of his elder team-mates who had not yet got their hands on the famous trophy.

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Watch Jesse discuss his greatest United moments.

"My debut sticks out a lot [against Swansea City on the opening day of the 2014/15 season]," he told us. "It was a great feeling. You have to work hard to get into the first team and to play my debut stands out. Obviously, I got injured in that game so it stands out a bit more.

“My first goal for the club was a great moment – at the Stretford End against West Brom. It was like a half-volley from the edge of the box with the inside of my foot into the bottom corner. I can remember things very clearly like that, like they were yesterday.

"There are those moments and obviously the trophies we've won as well," he continued. "There are a lot of great memories – especially the FA Cup, but the European one [the Europa League in 2017] was brilliant as well.

“That team was quite young and a lot of us had never won the FA Cup or a trophy. Wazza [Wayne Rooney] and Carrers [Michael Carrick] had never won it before that. It was important for them to win it and important for us, as young lads, to win the first trophy for the club, to get that winning feeling.

“When you do, you get that hunger to go on and win more trophies. It was a mixture of everything, the atmosphere was crazy that day at Wembley.

“It couldn't have been a better day for us."

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