Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was pleased with the performance of his boys as they earned a goalless draw against Liverpool.
The Red Devils went into the encounter against the backdrop of losing 3-0 to Bournemouth at Old Trafford and crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage. What’s more, they had suffered a chastening 7-0 defeat at Anfield last season while Liverpool had won every game on their own patch this term.
Despite Jurgen Klopp’s side having 34 shots, United limited the hosts to a dearth of clear-cut chances. And ten Hag, under pressure from sections of supporters, was delighted with his troops.
The Red Devils head coach told the BBC: “How pleased was I with the performance? In a lot of respects, yeah, absolutely. The performances were very good from the side. I think [on] the game plan, the players were brilliant in how they were together and they stuck together, how they were fighting.
“Maybe the only criticism would be in possession – we could have hurt them more. We get one, two, three passes and we are in. But that was the only thing. We could have scored one of the two big opportunities and even won the game, but I think we defended very well.
“You have seen Liverpool and it is an obviously very good team, and a very good attacking one. They have a lot of good movements and you have to defend very disciplined. Big compliment to the team, [because] we did that. The spirit, the passion, the desire, we had [it], and also [we were] smart.”
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk claimed that there was only one team trying to win the game and that United were ‘buzzing’ with grinding out a point. Speaking to reporters at his post-match press conference, ten Hag was asked about van Dijk’s comments. He replied: “This is his opinion.”
