Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has bafflingly admitted he is “totally oblivious” to his side’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the end of September.
spurs United dominatedtaking an early lead after Micky van de Ven broke through half of the hosts’ line-out before squaring the ball to Brennan Johnson. Bruno Fernandes was sent off on the stroke of half-time for a lunge on James Maddison before Spurs went two more goals up after the break.
VAR did not overrule the referee on the pitch but the United captain, who claimed he slipped while taking the tackle, had his penalty overturned by the Football Association on appeal. lation
Ten Hag it hasn’t moved. “I deny this game, I ignore the game against Spurs because we went down to ten with a 1-0 losing position,” the Dutch coach told the assembled media on Thursday night, almost a month after the meeting in Old Trafford. “And then the red card was overturned. So I completely ignore that game.
“That’s not a fair assessment of the team to take because we didn’t have a chance to bounce back.”
Ten Hag’s argument has some merit. The successful red card appeal suggests Fernandes should not have been sent off, which unfairly hampered United for more than half of the loss to Spurs. However, Tottenham they were comfortable even when United had 11 players on the pitch.
As Postecoglou explained at the time: “Their red card is a result of our dominance, we put them under so much pressure that they couldn’t really get out of their own half.”
Ten Hag was also keen to praise United’s “fighting spirit” when allowed equal numbers. “But you see that this team is resilient, this team is determined,” insisted the manager after overseeing a Tie 1-1 with Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
“Against Brentford, two tough games now in Europe, Porto and again today (against Fenerbahce), this team has character and this team showed fighting spirit and determination to win games.”
The Red Devils will need all that mental fortitude when they travel to West Ham United’s London Stadium on Sunday midday. Manchester United they have won just two of their last 17 Premier League trips to England’s capital, both against Fulham.
