Erik ten Hag disappointed after United drop points to Tottenham
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By Martin Graham | 29th Apr 2023
Erik ten Hag admitted he was not pleased with the result, after watching his side blow a two-goal lead in North London, to see both sides end the game with a share of the spoils.
Going by how the first half went, Man United were all over their opponents and it looked like game over after Jadon Sancho gave the Red Devils the lead early on and Marcus Rashford doubled their lead just before half time.
The second half was an entirely different affair though, as Tottenham looked a new side and deservedly scored two comeback goals via Pedro Porro and Heung-Min Son late on. But for wasted chances, Spurs could have completely turned the game around but a point apiece seemed like a fair result, given how both halves went.
However, Ten Hag said he would have been pleased with a point before the match started, given how his team have been stressed over the past week, due to their FA Cup semi-final fixture against Brighton, which saw the Red Devils play 120 minutes before winning via penalty shootouts.
Ten Hag says Man United did not play well
Speaking after the game on Thursday night, Ten Hag said: “Yes, definitely. Although my opinion was we didn’t play that well. We had a lot of chances but we didn’t finish. We were not clinical enough, but we scored two times. And then you have to finish the game.”
“I don’t blame one player. It was a brilliant action [before the shot]. And as I said, before half-time, we weren’t clinical before the goal. I think we had to score more, although we scored twice in an away game, which is good.”
“The goals we conceded, they were so easy. We didn’t block the crosses and you have to be proactive there. We have to come out to block the shot with the second long ball and we didn’t squeeze out – it was so easy for them and it kept coming and it was so easy to score a goal then.”
“We come into every game to win, but it was clear how they managed the game. We wanted to win, which we didn’t [do]. I think before [the game], the draw was okay. But when you see this game, when you are 2-0 up, of course then you have to manage the game and put it over the line.”
Man United will now face another tough clash on Sunday, against an Aston Villa side that are unbeaten in their last 10 league games. Ten Hag knows that fixture will not be easy but backs his side to claim a win regardless.
“If we win on Sunday Man United game against Aston Villa, yeah, that would be a great week. But first we have to get to that point and therefore we need all the energy and recover. Get ready for that game, get the energy, get the focus. And then we go again.”
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
