Erik ten Hag is having trouble making sense of both Manchester United’s week and his feelings following a 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday at Old Trafford.
For one thing, the Red Devils snapped to life after an insipid first half to take a 2-1 lead over a superior side, laying claim to a point against a despised rival.
[ MORE: Man United 2-2 Liverpool recap, highlights ]
Ten Hag improves his record as Man United boss versus Liverpool to 2W-2D-1L, and puts a dent into the visitors’ title hopes, but he also saw his team blow a lead for the third time in just over a week.
“Very mixed emotions,” Ten Hag said after the game, which saw United score two terrific goals and stay in sixth place on the Premier League table.
Erik ten Hag reaction: ‘Mixed emotions’ as ‘stupid mistakes’ lead to draw
“On one side I am disappointed that we have dropped seven points in one week after being in winning positions, but we have to blame ourselves for making stupid mistakes,” Ten Hag said.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka helped set up United’s second goal but committed a very poor sliding challenge in the box that allowed Mohamed Salah the chance to level the line from the penalty spot, which he did with ease.
“On the other side I am very proud. You see how we are improving and the potential of this squad is amazing. I am proud. ... In decisive areas we were losing battles especially with young players we were not confident to win them [duels]. We encouraged in the second half to do better and they stepped up.”
Manchester United were bad and lucky this week
If Ten Hag wants to view this as glass half full, he can point to a winnable FA Cup semifinal giving him multiple routes back to Europe. If he wants to view this as bad, United’s points continue to come in games in which they were outplayed.
Take a look at the expected goals totals from the three-game stretch which included the 1-1 draw away to Brentford, a 4-3 defeat versus Chelsea, and Sunday’s draw with Liverpool at OT:
- United drew Brentford 1-1 but lost xG 3.18-0.99
- They lost 4-3 Chelsea and lost xG 3.48-1.57
- Sunday’s 2-2 draw favored Liverpool in xG by an eye-popping 4.43-0.81
Ten Hag should take those two points and make sure to include them in his gratitude practice.
