Ten Hag blasts players for late Chambers equaliser

ERIK TEN HAG laid into his Manchester United players after conceding an “unacceptable” late goal to end their 100 per cent record under him.

David de Gea was left rooted to his line as Aston Villa’s Calum Chambers headed past him with the last action of the game at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

United, who flew home after the game, were looking to make it four straight wins under Ten Hag – and the Dutchman was in no mood to spare his players from his anger at their loss of focus.

“Football is a sport of mistakes and we have to decrease the mistakes,” said Ten Hag.

“That’s what I just said in the dressing-room – a drop of focus is unacceptable. But to the season I’m happy, because now I can tell them it cannot happen.

“You have to get out of the dressing-room, back in your plan and your focus and back to your performance. That is what we didn’t do.

Progress

“But I’ve seen a lot of progress in these two weeks.

“In the first-half I saw really good football, really controlling and dominating the game.

“But we have to learn from what happened in the second-half. It’s not possible that you go 2-0 and then throw it away.”

A volleyed strike from Jadon Sancho and an own goal from Matty Cash in the first-half looked to have been enough to give Ten Hag’s Red Devils victory over Villa.

But Steven Gerrard’s Villans pulled a goal back through substitute Leon Bailey, who then produced the corner delivery from which Chambers equalised.

Torrential rain made the surface at the Optus Stadium treacherous for both teams, although Ten Hag refused to use that as an excuse.

Ten Hag added: “It was the focus. I don’t want to make excuses about the pitch or weather. No matter what, we have to perform.

“We had a lot of movement behind their defensive line, we scored two great goals to be 2-0 up at half-time and then our focus dropped.

“It can be that the guys are tired, but that’s not an excuse.

“They have to perform and that’s what we didn’t do in the second-half. In the first half we were really good. For the players, for the team, I think we make a lot of progress, a lot of positive aspects.

“I would also say, at the end, it was a setback, but it’s also part of the season.

“A season is not always going up, you also have setbacks and have to deal with it.

Confidence

“The players can have a lot of confidence because they are good, but they have to know we have to work hard and play as a team, then we will have good performances.

“I think In general, our front men, our forward players, did well. They were really well connected.

“That is a weapon that is really hard to defend against.

“There was a lot of movement, a lot of skills and they can finish.”