"We could have won": Ten Hag on United's 2-1 loss against Fulham in PL
Feb 25, 2024
New Delhi [India], February 25 : Following Manchester United's 2-1 loss against Fulham in the Premier League (PL) on Saturday, the Red Devils head coach said that they should have won the game at the iconic Old Trafford.
While speaking at the post-match press conference, Ten Hag said that in the past two months, United have performed well in the league.
"After these two months, I wouldn't go to that approach. We have seen lately that we have done very well. Now we have some setbacks, also today, we could have won this game, maybe should have won this game, because the team showed great character," Ten Hag said as quoted by Manchester United's official website.
He added that they had started both the first and second half slowly and losing Casemiro was a "big blow". He also praised the Red Devils players for "showing big character".
"We had two slow starts in both halves and in the second half, it was a big blow to lose Casemiro. We lost some stability in the team and we conceded in that moment. Also, the goal was very avoidable and then we fought back, so I have to credit the team for showing big character. Then we went for the win but, in the end, we let them slip away," he added.
The head coach revealed that they don't have a proper "left full-back" due to injury. He added that the team needs to recover from the setbacks.
"It's the truth. We don't have a left full-back, then we had the big drop-out of Casemiro, and Licha Martinez, but still, we have the players and the squad to deal with it. And also today we could have won this game, maybe should have won this game. In the end, we showed great character and we have to do with these players. We have had a good run, now we have to recover from this setback, look forward, prepare for the next game, be ready for it and do better than today, especially in the manner of the result," he added.
Recapping the match, United faced a 1-2 loss against Fulham at the Old Trafford on Saturday. Both sides failed to score in the first 45 minutes. However, the first goal came in the game from Fulham's Calvin Bassey in the 68th minute. Later, the Red Devils defender Hary Maguire levelled the scoreline in the 89th minute. But the hosts failed to keep the lead for a longer time as Alex Iwobi scored the winner in the added minutes of the second half.
The 2-1 loss will be a big blow for the United as they stand in sixth place in the PL standings with 44 points.