Erik ten Hag expressed disappointment with his Manchester United team for not being more assertive during corner kicks, as they allowed Tottenham to equalize twice in a 2-2 draw.
United took the lead with goals from Rasmus Højlund and Marcus Rashford in the third and fortieth minutes, but Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur were able to equalize for the hosts.
Richarlison scored a goal with a header from a corner kick, during which Aaron Wan-Bissaka lost his mark on the opposing striker. Two more corners resulted in Diogo Dalot clearing a shot by Bentancur off the goal line and Cristian Romero hitting the crossbar.
The game was the first attended by Sir Jim Ratcliffe since the Ineos owner’s 25% buy-in was announced. Ten Hag was asked what the 71‑year‑old had seen.
The manager informed Sky Sports that the player witnessed a team that worked together and strived for a victory. Along with witnessing two impressive goals from our team, he should have also observed the need for stronger defensive efforts during corner kicks.
“You need to mature and become more physical, clearing the ball with your head. That kind of mistake should not occur. As for the second goal from Spurs, it was a classic one. We are aware of their fast counterattacks, yet we still allowed them to make a diagonal pass that completely broke our team. This is something that cannot happen.”
“I am feeling disappointed. It can be frustrating when you make progress twice and then give up two easy goals, but you just have to accept it as it is.”
Ten Hag thought that the incident on the 32nd minute where Destiny Udogie embraced Alejandro Garnacho should have resulted in a penalty.
The speaker acknowledged that there have been unfavorable circumstances, but they have become accustomed to it throughout the season. They referenced a similar situation during a loss to Spurs in August, pointing out a specific instance of a handball by Romero. They believe that eventually luck will be on their side, and they are hopeful for that to happen at some point in the season.
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This was the initial match where Højlund and Rashford both registered goals. Ten Hag stated: “When our attackers are unable to score, it affects the entire team. It creates insecurity for all, especially the forwards. Not scoring decreases their confidence and this affects their performance both in attack and defense.”
Ange Postecoglou was pleased, the Spurs manager saying: “I thought it was an outstanding performance.”
Source: theguardian.com
