Manchester United kept their season alive by beating Brighton to make the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils went crashing out of the Champions League against Sevilla last week, which only served to intensify their need for a win over the Seagulls and they delivered with a 2-0 triumph.

The limp nature of United’s European departure meant that their performance was under scrutiny and on that score, they underperformed.

Jose Mourinho called his players out for a lack of quality, personality and desire despite the win but one man he singled out for praise was Nemanja Matic.

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The numbers back up Mourinho’s positivity. Matic was constantly involved in the play, not hiding despite a week of intense pressure on the players at Old Trafford, having 136 touches.

He put the game beyond Brighton with the crucial second goal but also made three interceptions and seven dribbles, which is surprisingly high for a holding midfielder without too much in the way of flair.

His pass accuracy was up there, with 90%, but Mourinho emphasised the importance of players, such as Scott McTominay, not being scared to give the ball away as long as they have the personality to play.

In a team of expensively-assembled eye-catching players, Matic – valued at £36m by Transfermarkt – is the most ‘Mourinho’ signing United have made, so maybe it is no surprise that the Serbian is the one performing well lately.

Mourinho will be hoping that more of his players follow Matic’s lead and they will need to if they are to finish this season with silverware.