LONDON – Erik ten Hag says Manchester United’s players must know how to finish games after they suffered another stunning late-season collapse. 4-3 defeat Away to Chelsea on Thursday.
United thought they had pulled off a memorable comeback, conceding two early goals only to level the score at half-time and then taking the lead on the hour mark. Alejandro Garnacho.
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Ten Hag maintained their lead in stoppage time but collapsed in the final moments Cole Palmer He completed his hat-trick with two last-gasp goals – first from the penalty spot, and again moments after the restart, sparking jubilant scenes from the home side at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer’s 101st-minute goal set a record as the most recent winning goal in Premier League history, according to ESPN Stats & Information. This is the second match in a row in which United have been stunned in the last moments, with Brentford scoring an improbable 99th-minute equalizer in the previous match.
“It was a great game for the neutrals,” Ten Hag told BBC Sport after the match. “A great football match with a lot of quality.
“Manchester United controlled the game but we made individual mistakes that cost us the game. We have to learn from them. When you are a Manchester United player, you should already know how to deal with this circumstance.”
The result means that United were unable to capitalize on Tottenham and Aston Villa’s loss of points this week, reducing United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Ten Hag added, “In five days we dropped five points. This is unacceptable. We must have a high level if we want to compete for the Champions League.”
“I don’t know [if the top four is gone]. I have to see the arrangement again. Points will be more expensive. It is very disappointing that we are doing this and making bad decisions. We lost a game we should have won.”
United conceded 28 shots, taking the total to 107 in their past four matches in all competitions. However, Ten Hag once again said he was not worried about putting pressure on United’s goal.
“It’s ridiculous,” Ten Hag told TNT Sports. “We showed that we were in fourth place before this game in terms of goals conceded. Everyone talks to each other after that, we are good and we have a good defense as a team, a good goalkeeper and a good back four, so I can’t do anything with those statistics.” . “.
United’s task will not get any easier in their next match, as they face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
