Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag put on a brave face after his team’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday, saying that the Magpies had simply been the better team on the night.
The Dutch boss refused to blame his team’s busy schedule or travel requirements, saying those were the type of things that professionals needed to deal with.
Speaking after the game to Match of the Day, Ten Hag said: “We have to give credit to Newcastle, they played better than us tonight.
“We started well, had a chance with Garnacho, but then after that they were better.
“For a long period, they were better than us, and we went 1-0 down. To be fair at the end of the game we came back and had some good opportunities. Reguilon, very good chance. The offside goal. So yes, in the end we fought back but we need to do this over a whole game.
Asked to comment on the travel issues ahead of the game, he added: “You have to deal with that, it can never be an excuse.”
Ten Hag was also asked to comment on his team’s work-rate: “You could say we defended quite well, but I prefer for us to stay further away from our goal.
“I’d prefer us to have more of the ball and play in their half. We had our moments where we could make good movements, but it was not enough. We need to be more dominant in a game.”
The result sees Newcastle move past Manchester united and up to fifth on the table, ahead of Spurs, who play on Sunday.
