Erik ten Hag spoke softly after a historic drubbing but didn’t hold back in a scathing assessment of his Manchester United side’s pitiful performance.
WHAT HAPPENED? The Manchester United manager did not recognise his side during an utterly abysmal second-half performance in their 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield. Above all, he was dismayed with how his players reacted to conceding two goals so soon after the break.
WHAT THEY SAID: “It’s 3-0, as a team you stick together. We didn’t do that. I’m surprised to see this from our team, I don’t think it’s us, I don’t think it’s Manchester United,” a downcast Ten Hag told a press conference.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: United arrived at Anfield with a spring in their step one week after lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley and staging a stirring FA Cup comeback win over West Ham. They played well in the first half but then slumped to their worst-ever defeat in 31 years in the Premier League.
AND WHAT’S MORE: Ten Hag, who also saw his side lose 4-0 to Brentford and 6-3 to Manchester City earlier in the season, was ruthless with his players and called their professionalism into question.
“After halftime, so quickly we gave the game away. We made bad decisions on the ball, how we anticipate, how we concede the goal,” he said. “The third [goal] was a counter and we were so unprofessional with our decisions, running away, giving the space away, not tracking back.”
DID YOU KNOW? This was the first time Manchester United have conceded seven goals against Liverpool since 1895 – when the club were called Newton Heath.
WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED? The Red Devils have no time to mope over this galling defeat and must pick themselves up immediately to face Real Betis in a Europa League last-16 first-leg encounter on Thursday. Source: goal.com
