David de Gea saluted caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the return of "the real Manchester United" and bringing "happiness" back into their play following Sunday's 1-0 win at Tottenham.
It was said in the build-up that United's trip to Wembley was the first major test for Solskjaer, having replaced Jose Mourinho last month.
Until then, United had beaten more modest opposition in Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth and Newcastle United in the Premier League and Reading in the FA Cup.
United certainly did not cruise to victory at Spurs, but they fought well and threatened their hosts on a number of occasions, particularly on the break, with Marcus Rashford getting the decisive goal in the first half after a fine Paul Pogba pass.