Soccer

Erik ten Hag: ‘We gave away a game we should have won’

Manchester United led until the 100th minute before Cole Palmer struck twice to consign ten Hag’s side to a damaging defeat

Erik ten Hag oversaw Manchester United's last-minute Premier League defeat to Chelsea. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Wire
Erik ten Hag oversaw Manchester United's last-minute Premier League defeat to Chelsea. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Wire
David Hytner at Stamford Bridge
Fri Apr 05 2024 - 09:45

Erik ten Hag blamed individual errors and poor decision-making for Manchester United’s second “unacceptable” capitulation in five days as he reflected on a wild 4-3 defeat at Chelsea.

United had fought back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2, Antony ­impressing in place of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho scoring twice. Yet Cole Palmer would be Chelsea’s hero. The boyhood United fan scored his second penalty to equalise in the 10th minute of stoppage time and completed a stunning hat-trick two minutes later.

Palmer’s winner was timed at 100 minutes and 39 seconds – making it the latest winning goal in Premier League history. United had conceded an equaliser in the 99th minute at Brentford on Saturday.

Ten Hag said: “We started the game poorly but I had the feeling we were dominating. We got ourselves into a winning position, with some brilliant football, scoring some great goals and we didn’t manage the game in stoppage time.

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“You have to do your job. The players know their jobs and they didn’t make the right decisions. We didn’t react quickly enough [for Palmer’s winner]. We have to make better ­decisions. We have to read when to keep the ball, to pass and move and switch the play when we are winning.

“We made individual errors that cost us the game. We have to learn from it. When you are a Man United player you should already know how to deal with this circumstance. In five days we dropped five points. That is unacceptable. We gave away a game we should have won.”

Palmer said that he did not know how Chelsea had stirred at the very last but when the officials signalled an additional eight minutes, he felt it gave his team a lift.

“It was madness,” he said. “To win like that, there is nothing better. We thought when we scored the third goal the fans lifted us and I saw the gaffer say there were two minutes left and thankfully I scored. You know I have taken many penalties. I am not going to miss a penalty, touch wood. And to score in the very last minute is crazy.”

- Guardian