‘The plan went well’

Erik ten Hag insists “small margins” cost Manchester United in their 3-1 derby defeat to fierce rivals Manchester City.

Marcus Rashford’s first-half goal had given the visitors hope of victory at the Etihad Stadium, only for their dreams to be shattered by a Phil Foden brace and Erling Haaland’s late strike.

The result means United have already lost two more Premier League games this season – 11 – than they did in the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign.

But the manager saw plenty of positives in their performance.

“They gave everything,” Ten Hag said of his side to Sky Sports. “We had two players on the pitch that were not 100%, Jonny Evans and Marcus Rashford, and they gave everything, as the whole team gave everything.

“I think the performance is very good, only, of course, we are disappointed with the score.

“The togetherness but also the performance was very good. On another day, we could have won this game.

“Especially I think Rashford had some very good opportunities also to score another goal. Also [Alejandro] Garnacho had these moments. The plan went well. It was very small margins.

“All the credit to City, in how they play, and how consistent they play, but the way we defended was brilliant.”

There was some controversy over Foden’s equaliser for the hosts, which came from a rapid counter-attack.

Rashford had appeared to be through on goal at the other end, only to be nudged off the ball by Kyle Walker.

No foul was given, and City went down the other end and scored, leading to a furious reaction from Ten Hag, who was subsequently booked.

“It was soft, but you know when you are in a full sprint, and you get a little touch, then you lose the rhythm. That’s why he went down,” he said, before referencing another incident when City goalkeeper Ederson flew out of goal to tackle Garnacho inside the penalty area.

“It’s very debatable. I think there was contact and a defining moment in the game, as was also the 2-1, where the reckless action of the goalkeeper from City. They counter attacked, they scored, 2-1.”

This is the first time United have lost a top-flight game having led at half-time since September 2014.

The result means they remain in sixth place in the Premier League table after the defeat, 18 points behind their city rivals, who sit in second.

More worryingly for the club’s fans though, they have lost ground in the race for a UEFA Champions League place after wins for Aston Villa and Spurs this weekend.

They are now 11 points off the top four, but Ten Hag insists they can claw back that gap.

“From this year on, I think we’re really progressing,” he added. “You have to get some points back and then you have to win a game like today against City.

“There are still many games to play. Everyone can beat everyone, so things can quickly turn around. We have to win our games.

“Number five can also be a position for the Champions League, so we have to fight for it.”

They return to action at Old Trafford next weekend against struggling Everton, where Ten Hag’s side are at risk of losing three successive Premier League matches for the first time since December 2015.

However, Bruno Fernandes is sure there are some positives they can take from the game.

“I think the commitment from the team was there,” the captain told Sky Sports. “Obviously, they have their qualities and they hurt us when they could.

“We had our chances. Sometimes, I think we played a little bit too deep, but you know that City does that to all the teams.

“You have to know how to defend your box. I think we did that really well in the first half. We had our counters in the second half also.

“From a chance that it could be ours, they end up scoring the 1-1, and then with the qualities of their players, they got the other goals.”

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