Erik ten Hag was scathing in his evaluation of his Manchester United squad, labelling his gamers “unprofessional” on three separate events after they subsided to their joint-heaviest aggressive defeat, a 7-0 thrashing by the hands of Liverpool.
United conceded six in an exhilarating second half at Anfield, one the place the guests regarded a far cry from the group who had gained 16 of their 20 video games for the reason that World Cup, as Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all netted braces. Ten Hag’s facet had had their moments of testing the Liverpool aim within the first half however appeared to lose any abdomen for the struggle because the targets rained down on them towards their nice rivals.
“I haven’t got an evidence,” Ten Hag advised Sky Sports. “In the primary half, we have been fairly in management. Second half in the beginning we gave two targets away. There was no group anymore. We did not stick with the plan. There have been 11 people. It’s actually unhealthy. I’ve given my opinion [to the players].
“It was unprofessional. You all the time have to stay collectively as a group. We did not try this. There was no self-discipline. You can have setbacks however it’s a must to stick collectively and do your job. We made the unsuitable selections. That for me is unprofessional. I’m actually disenchanted and indignant. We let our followers down. As a squad, as a group, you can not enable this. You have to stay collectively and help one another and struggle for one another. You must defend. We did not try this and for me that’s actually unprofessional.
“We have made lots of progress however you see what occurs when you do not maintain requirements. What I’ve stated within the dressing room is that that is unacceptable. But additionally it is just one sport. We will bounce again.”
Perhaps nobody epitomized the sense that United heads had gone fairly like captain Bruno Fernandes, who appeared to feign harm on multiple event and reacted furiously after innocuous challenges. When Anthony Elanga changed Marcus Rashford within the eighty fifth minute Fernandes appeared to gesticulate towards the bench, asking why he was not being substituted.
Former United captain Gary Neville stated, “There have been issues that I noticed in that second half that have been a shame and I’ll begin with Bruno Fernandes as a result of I’ve had sufficient of him throwing his arms round at his teammates, I’ve had sufficient of him not operating again. He whinges at everyone. He obtained pushed within the chest and went down holding his face.
“He has obtained to place a captain’s efficiency in on the market. That wasn’t a captain’s efficiency by a Manchester United participant.”
The fury round Manchester United was solely matched by the jubilation that engulfed Anfield after their biggest-ever win towards their nice rivals, a win made all of the sweeter as Salah netted his 129th Premier League aim, probably the most a Liverpool participant has scored within the competitors. Jurgen Klopp’s facet are actually as much as fifth, three factors off Tottenham with a sport in hand. Suddenly even the seven-point hole to third-placed United seems bridgeable.
“We want outcomes and performances and tonight we obtained each,” Klopp advised the BBC. “The begin of the sport was tremendous dominant and tremendous versatile.
“A number of months in the past everybody thought it was second to play Liverpool — you may’t say it publicly however everybody thought it — as a result of they felt we have been struggling loads however now it’s much less of second, we glance rather more like ourselves. It is necessary that everybody is aware of we’re right here and we’re nonetheless alive.”
