Ten Hag call for caution as United thump Liverpool
ERIK TEN HAG stood clutching the Bangkok Century Cup with Bruno Fernandes as the music thumped, the confetti pumped and the staged celebrations got underway. Above him, the giant scoreboard read: Manchester United 4 Liverpool 0. Ten Hag’s first game as United manager and here was his first trophy. It was quite the start. The expressionless look on his face told a rather different story, though. He knows that events here on a sticky night in Bangkok are far removed from the cold reality of Premier League football. When United face Liverpool at Old Trafford next month, it will be in different circumstances. Jurgen Klopp played three different teams, changing all ten outfield players after half an hour and 60 minutes. Ten Hag also made ten changes at half-time, so we should only read so much into the result. But 4-0 against any Liverpool team these days is not to be sniffed at, and Ten Hag would have faced serious questions if the score was the other way round.
‘We will not overestimate this result,’ he said. ‘It will take time and I have seen a lot of mistakes. We have to work hard to cut them out but, of course, we are happy.’ The Dutchman will be encouraged that United had four different scorers in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. Jadon Sancho, Fred and Anthony Martial were on target before half-time and Facundo Pellistri added a fourth. If Ten Hag can coax more finishes from Fred like his exquisite chip over Alisson then he really is a special coach.
For Liverpool, this result felt much less significant. Klopp will not dwell on it too long as he heads to Singapore for a match against Crystal Palace on Friday. ‘The game came too early,’ he said. ‘United had a week longer with their core group and they did really well. The result is there. We have to accept it.’