Nani had a hand in both goals as Manchester United saw off the challenge of Reading 2-1 to enter the quarterfinals of the F.A. Cup.
The Portuguese winger came on as a second half substitute in the fifth round tie at Old Trafford and made an immediate impact, scoring the first and making the second for Javier Hernandez as a late Jobi McAnuff goal turned out to just be a consolation for Brian McDermott's side.
"It is very important, the manager has told us that he wants to win the F.A. Cup and we are very focused on this competition," Nani said after the match. "We prepared very hard for this game and we did well to win, which is the most important thing.
"I have been injured for a long time and it is always difficult when you come back, but I've worked very hard and part of what I did on the pitch was because I've worked very hard.
"It was nice to help the team, it was a beautiful evening and I have to keep working hard to try and help the team every time I get on the pitch."
Nani was forced to come into the game after Phil Jones sustained what looked like a serious injury, with the utility man leaving on crutches after the game.
However, the Portuguese international's arrival seemed to spark United into action, with the winger creating opportunities almost immediately.
Nani first struck the post with a nice volley, before forcing Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici into a save soon after.
The goal finally came in the 69th minute when Nani slammed home off an Antonio Valencia cross, with the shot taking a slight deflection off Sean Morrison before flying past Federici.
Three minutes later, United doubled their lead, with Nani this time turning provider with a near post cross which was headed in by Hernandez.
McAnuff reduced the deficit in the 81st minute after some horrible defending from the home side, however United comfortably enough saw off the rest of the game, and could have even added a third as they now await the winner between Chelsea and Middlesbrough.
"It ended up a really good tie," Sir Alex Ferguson told ESPN. "When they got their goal, they went for it.
"They hurled the ball into the box, hoping to get that vital touch. But we withstood that. And I think when you analyze it, we played some great football.
"We could have scored a lot of goals tonight. We made some chances -- we had shots blocked, the goalkeeper's made some saves, I'm really satisfied with the quality of the game. We really should have punished them better."
