Erik ten Hag, the head coach of Manchester United, has shared what he said to his team before their 2-1 triumph over rival Liverpool, reiterating his belief in their capacity to play good football.
The success of United can be attributed to Erik ten Hag, who helped the team overcome a poor performance the previous week to defeat an inattentive Liverpool.
Following Sancho’s first-half goal, Rashford doubled United’s advantage before Salah gave Liverpool a chance to rally. However, United held off Liverpool’s late charge to secure the memorable victory and all three points.
Manchester United has struggled to get off to a strong start under the Dutchman, losing their opening two Premier League games against Brentford and Brighton.
Man Utd survive Liverpool's late fightback and earn their first win under Erik ten Hag ?#MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/deNCYrr2YQ
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 22, 2022
When Liverpool visited them on Monday, they were mostly expected to lose once more, yet they put on a courageous and emotional display to defeat their steadfast foes.
Ten Hag stressed United’s persistence over any technical aspects that helped them win in his post-game interview with Sky Sports.
“We can talk about tactics, but it’s all about attitude. We can see that attitude on the pitch,” he began. There was communication, there was fighting spirit, and especially there was [teamwork] and you can see what they can achieve, because they can play fucking good football.” – he said.
The Red Devils head coach added;
“I said to [the players] we have to act, not talk a lot. Make sure you are a team and battle and be brave. It’s not only about spirit out of possession. Sometimes strikers think they cannot do it because they have to save their energy for offensive actions. Nowadays it’s a demand and that is what you saw. It makes me happy Rashford and Sancho scored the goals.”
Erik ten Hag's produced a tactical masterclass last night.
He analysed the strengths & weaknesses of both teams & concluded that where United are weak (the build-up) is where Liverpool are strong (pressing high), so he removed that factor from the game ?pic.twitter.com/GabfgWiUOH
— EBL (@EBL2017) August 23, 2022
With their win, United jumps Liverpool, who is winless, and moves up two spots to 14th in the early Premier League standings.