Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, admitted that Newcastle United deserved their victory over his team, which saw them overtake the Red Devils in the Premier League standings. The Magpies earned a 2-0 win at St. James’ Park, with goals from Joelinton and Miguel Almiron.
Ten Hag was full of praise for the performance of Newcastle, saying: “They deserved the win. We had a few chances in the first half but we didn’t take them. We were not good enough in the second half and they were more aggressive and they deserved the win.”
The result saw Newcastle move up to third in the table, while United dropped to fourth. Ten Hag was disappointed with the result, but he was keen to take the positives from the game. He said: “We have to take this as a learning experience. We have to look at what we did wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have to be better in our next game.”
The defeat was a blow for United’s hopes of Champions League qualification, but Ten Hag remains confident that his side can still achieve their goal. He said: “We have to keep going and keep believing that we can reach our goal. We have to keep fighting and keep believing in ourselves.”
Fans of both teams can watch highlights of the match on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday 2 April at 22:30 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport app (UK only).
Erik ten Hag was gracious in defeat, admitting that Newcastle United deserved their victory over Manchester United. The Magpies earned a 2-0 win at St. James’ Park, with goals from Joelinton and Miguel Almiron, which saw them leapfrog United into third place in the Premier League table. Ten Hag praised Newcastle’s performance, saying: “They deserved the win. We had a few chances in the first half but we didn’t take them. We were not good enough in the second half and they were more aggressive and they deserved the win.”
The result was a setback for United’s hopes of Champions League qualification, but Ten Hag remains confident that his side can still achieve their goal. He said: “We have to take this as a learning experience. We have to look at what we did wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have to be better in our next game. We have to keep going and keep believing that we can reach our goal. We have to keep fighting and keep believing in ourselves.”
For those who want to relive the match, highlights are available on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday 2 April at 22:30 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport app (UK only). Ten Hag and his team will be hoping for a different result when they face off against Newcastle again in the Premier League next season.