SUMMARY
- Ten Hag's team aimed to defeat Manchester City, but City got the victory, leaving Ten Hag with a disappointing record.
- In the Manchester Derby, Erik ten Hag's Manchester United made a strong start with Marcus Rashford scoring a powerful goal in the first half.
Erik ten Hag and Manchester United had yet another tough day at work after their defeat against Manchester City. After their narrow 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, Ten Hag’s side was hoping to upset the defending Premier League champions. However, it was Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who raced to victory with Ten Hag setting a rather disappointing record.
Erik ten Hag‘s Manchester United had the best start possible in the Manchester Derby. United forward Marcus Rashford grabbed the opening goal in the first half with a thunderous shot. Despite controlling the majority of the play, City struggled to break the solid United defense and grab the equalizer. However, it was the City born-and-bred Phil Foden who grabbed the equalizer as well as gave his side the lead in the second half.
For the first time in 143 games, Man United have lost a game which they led at half time 👀
Last time this happened was in 2014 against Leicester City 😳
Do you think Erik Ten Hag is still the right man for the job? …#PL pic.twitter.com/dzRR19c1Hz
— MTNza (@MTNza) March 4, 2024
Erling Haaland sealed the victory for Manchester City in injury time thanks to a mistake from the United defense. In the end, it was a show of utter domination from Manchester City who are now just one point shy from the Premier League-leaders Liverpool FC. To put things into further context, Manchester City’s number of shots, 27, was astonishingly more than Manchester United’s possession in the match (26%).
Erik ten Hag’s record at #MUFC so far after 100 games in charge. pic.twitter.com/z5jy4tcJX6
— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) March 4, 2024
Moreover, the defeat against Manchester City was the first time in the last decade, or 143 games, that United had lost a game at home despite leading at half-time. However, Ten Hag still has a long way to go to be branded as the club’s worst-ever manager. The Dutch coach currently has a win percentage of 60.6 percent and is even ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson. Former United coach Dave Sexton has the worst record with a mere 40.3 win percentage.
Erik ten Hag remains unperturbed after defeat against Manchester City
Meanwhile, Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag isn’t losing much sleep after the Manchester derby defeat. Despite being largely outplayed by Pep Guardiola’s men, Ten Hag seemed confident in the post-match interviews. The former Ajax coach stated that the result of the match didn’t highlight the difference in quality between the two teams.
Upon being asked whether a gap exists between the two teams, Ten Hag said, “No, I don’t think so, absolutely not.” He further insisted on how Manchester United’s long injury list has been plaguing the team. However, the 54-year-old manager didn’t shy away from praising City. Ten Hag labeled Pep Guardiola‘s side as the best team in the world at the moment.
Manchester United midfielder wants his club to learn from Manchester City
Not only head coach Erik ten Hag but also Manchester United midfielder Casemiro heaped praise on Manchester City. Casemiro had a decent performance against City despite struggling to contain Phil Foden. Moreover, he has been one of the best performers at the club since he arrived in 2022. Speaking after the match, the Brazilian midfielder urged Manchester United to use their local rivals as a “mirror” and learn from them.
🔴🇧🇷 Casemiro on INEOS plans: “The new owners want to do ambitious plans. I hope that they arrive and grow together with us”.
“It is important for the club to have people who want to grow here”, told @ESPNBrasil. pic.twitter.com/onhA1BZTBw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 4, 2024
He said, “We have a mirror here, which is City, and they have been doing a great job.” Casemiro stated that as of today, Manchester City is the team that every club wants to beat. Lastly, the former Real Madrid star also had a word for the new owner of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS group. He stated that he believes that the new owners want to do good things for the club and that everyone at United should evolve together.