Manchester United twice conceded the lead on Wednesday night en route to a 4-3 loss to Copenhagen in the Champions League. United are currently bottom of Group A and face a difficult task of reaching the knockout stages.Erik ten Hag blamed the defeat on three decisions by officials.
Erik ten Hag described Manchester United’s performance in their 4-3 loss to FC Copenhagen as “very good” and placed the blame for the result on those involved.
United lost for the third time in four Champions League games, leaving their hopes of progressing through Group A slim.
Ten Hag’s side led 2-0, but Marcus Rashford was sent off and the score was reduced to 2-2. Bruno Fernandes put United ahead 3-2, but the Premier League side collapsed again at the end of the second half, conceding more than three goals in a game for the seventh time this season.
But Ten Hag was satisfied with much of what he saw from his side, even though there was little chance of winning out of the group that had been the front-runners in the negotiations.
“It’s very disappointing because I played very well,” he said. “We started the game very well. It was the best time of the season. We were winning the game, but the red card changed everything.”
Copenhagen dominated the ball more, taking 16 shots to United’s nine, but Ten Hag said: “It was a game full of mistakes. I can’t say we got everything right, but there are a lot of positives. There is,” he claimed.
“Even with 10 men, we were in control of the game. We played very well.”
In fact, Ten Hag believes VAR has made a number of decisions against United in the Danish capital, starting with Rashford’s sending off for stepping on Elias Gellert as he tried to protect the ball.
“It’s very tough,” Ten Hag said of the decision. “He went to get the ball, but it took a long time for the referee to give him a red card.
“If you freeze it, it looks bad. I’m very disappointed in this decision.”
Ten Hag also became the latest manager to criticize the introduction of VAR, adding: “The game was never meant to be like this. This has nothing to do with football.” .
“I accept that the wrong decision was made, but when you make a difficult decision like that, you are in control of the game.”
Ten Hag did not comment on the penalty United were awarded for the controversial handball against Lucas Lerager, but the ball appeared to have traveled a short distance and hit Harry Maguire’s hand first. Despite that.
However, the Dutchman was furious that Maguire conceded a goal for a handball – the fourth player to face United in the Champions League this season – and also accused the Copenhagen player of denying Andre Onana’s first goal from an offside position. insisted.
“We conceded two goals, but that shouldn’t count,” Ten Hag insisted. “The first goal was offside, the second goal was close and the hand position was normal. What can we do about it?”
“Of the four penalties against us in four games, two or three are very controversial. There’s no way the game should go like this.”
Ten Hag said the decisions against his team were part of a pattern that had contributed to them losing nine of 17 games this season, the most at this stage in 50 years.
“This team is very solid,” he said. “Throughout the season, so many decisions went against us and so many injury setbacks.
“There’s a spirit in the team and we’ll always keep going. That’s going to work in our favor.”
Why Rashford was sent off
Whether Rashford intends to link up with Elias Gellert is irrelevant in this scenario. The intent of Mr Rashford’s actions does not matter, only the conduct, an area of law that is more strictly applied in Europe.
Granted, he is unlucky given that Rashford doesn’t seem to be making a tackle, just trying to protect the ball, but the law was strictly followed in this case and Manchester City… United should not expect any form of apology.
UEFA also initially reported on its website that Rashford had been dismissed for catching Gelato with his arm, but this was later corrected.
Manchester United’s remaining Champions League matches
November 29th: galatasaray (A) – 5:45pm kickoff
December 12th: Bayern Munich (H) – 8pm kickoff
Hit or miss: Fragile United sink to new depths
Sky Sports’ Joe Shred
Entering November, Manchester United have lost more than 50 per cent of their games this season. The last time they suffered so many defeats in the first 17 games of a season was in 1973/74, and the last time they were relegated.
Nobody expects United to repeat that nightmare – not yet anyway – but their current form is shockingly poor.
They have conceded 30 goals in just 17 games in all competitions. With 10 goals in their last four games alone, only Celtic and Antwerp have conceded more goals in this season’s Champions League.
It’s hard to criticize Erik ten Hag for the first-half indiscretions of Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire. Even if the judgment was correct, both brought more than just a sign of misfortune.
However, the manager must take responsibility for the team’s reaction. Whenever Copenhagen (a team that had not scored in eight of their last 10 games against English teams) applied pressure, United’s defense collapsed.
United’s high number of goals conceded shows that a tendency to collapse is a common theme. Equally damning is the fact that ten Hag, who lost two of his two away games in the Champions League as United manager, has lost more away games than he has lost in his 16 games at Ajax. be.
At this rate, United and Ten Hag may not even be able to qualify for the Europa League.