'It did something to our belief'- Ten Hag explains how Manchester United lost the game 3 minutes after kick-off

'It did something to our belief'- Ten Hag explains how Manchester United lost the game 3 minutes after kick-off

Eric Munene 08:00 - 30.09.2024

Eri Ten Hag provided an explanation for Manchester United's Old Trafford horror show.

Manchester United pulled of a shocking display on Sunday against Tottenham and dropped further below standards after the 3-0 loss.

Brendan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and new signing Dominik Solanke all got on the score sheet to earn their team 3 points.

United's talisman Bruno Fernandes was handed a straight red card in the first half for a rash foul on James Madison.

Speaking after the match, manager Erik Ten Hag explained why Manchester United lost the match.

Ten Hag opened his remarks by highlighting the early setback his team faced. "To concede a goal after just two or three minutes like that, it did something to our belief," he stated.

The manager pointed out that the goal was "totally unnecessary," stemming from a defensive lapse that allowed Spurs’ center-half to bypass the entire team, leading to an easy finish at the far post.

He drew parallels to a similar mistake made against Twente midweek, underscoring a need for better concentration in the opening stages.

The early goal visibly rattled United, and Ten Hag noted that his players struggled to maintain composure on the ball. "From that moment on we were stressed. We could not find the triangles or the switches. We had some good moments, but we lost our foothold," he explained.

Despite this, he acknowledged that the team had opportunities to equalize, mentioning key chances created by Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho when they were still at full strength.

The match took another turn with a controversial red card that left United a man down.

Ten Hag expressed his disagreement with the decision, stating, "I don’t think it was a red card," but he also recognized that his team needed to adapt to the circumstances.

Even with ten men, he insisted that they had chances to get back into the game, but ultimately, the team's performance was not up to standard.

"We have to accept this and get better," Ten Hag asserted. He urged his squad to focus on their next game and learn from the mistakes made against Spurs.

"First, we must deal with this and show resilience. This is not good enough," he added, reinforcing his commitment to improving the team's performance as they move forward in the season.

Erik Ten Hag's job as United's boss will surely face storms as they still have a fixture on Thursday against FC Porto in the Europa League.