Erik ten Hag acknowledged that Manchester United made mistakes in their 3-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City. After the defeat, Ten Hag praised his team’s first-half performance but admitted that they made errors in the second half.
United’s manager Erik ten Hag commented on the match, saying, “We made the wrong decisions” during their 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City. Erling Haaland scored a penalty in the first half and added another goal shortly after halftime. Phil Foden sealed the victory with a goal in the 80th minute.
Following this loss, Manchester United is currently in eighth place in the Premier League, eight points away from the fourth spot for UEFA Champions League qualification, marking the end of their recent period of good form.
Ten Hag spoke to the BBC after the game, noting that the first-half performance was impressive, but mistakes emerged in the second half.
He explained, “In the first half, we played well and defended effectively. We had good chances but didn’t capitalize on them. Then the penalty changed the game.
In the second half, we had to be more offensive, but we wanted to stay compact. We knew they would press us and play high and direct.”
He also pointed out problems with the second goal, saying, “It came too early, and we made the wrong decisions. We discussed not pressing the goalkeeper when it wasn’t feasible.
In the first half, things went according to plan, but in the second half at 2-0, we needed better organization when defending against their attacks.”
Next, Manchester United will face Newcastle in the League Cup, and despite the recent setback due to a failed Qatari takeover, Ten Hag remained optimistic. He stated, “We are disappointed and frustrated, but we played well in the first half. We’ll bounce back and be ready for the next game.”