Erik ten Hag says Man United’s nervy win over Coventry was ‘NOT an embarrassment’ despite leading 3-0 as he hails ‘huge achievement’ of reaching back-to-back FA Cup finals
- United staged a repeat of the 2023 FA Cup final after surviving their Coventry scare
- The Red Devils led 3-0 in the final 20 minutes but needed penalties to advance
- If Erik ten Hag wins the FA Cup with Man United, does he deserve to keep his job? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Erik ten Hag says falling in the FA Cup final was a “huge achievement” for Manchester United, even though they were almost humiliated by Coventry.
After Coventry fought back 3-0 to take the semi-final into extra time, substitute Victor Torp thought he had won – only for Wright, who had provided the cross, to be ruled offside by the most marginal of VAR calls. .
United then won the penalty shootout to save face, although they will need to improve considerably to have any chance of beating Manchester City, in a repeat of last season’s final.
“We reached two finals in two years and that’s a huge achievement,” insisted Ten Hag, whose position is closely watched. “I see the mistakes we make. You can’t avoid them. But it’s not a shame, it’s a huge achievement.
“We can play at very high levels but in the same match we can go to very low levels and it’s not explainable. It’s about game management, responsibility and decision-making.
Erik ten Hag said his team’s victory on penalties and progress to the final was a “huge achievement”.
The Red Devils have qualified for the FA Cup final and staged a repeat of last year’s showpiece.
United needed heroic penalties to sneak past the Championship side in a thrilling cup match at Wembley.
“We have to do better on these occasions. Many times like this we let the result slip away, but today we got away with it. I don’t think heads have rolled, but we have had many setbacks and maybe our reaction is human, but it is not acceptable. When you are in control, you should win easily.
“You can’t say this group doesn’t have the right mentality because they showed character today, but in the final game there was a lack of discipline. This season has had many highs but also many stockings.
“Winning the FA Cup doesn’t make the season successful. We want to win more. I have mixed feelings and there are mixed feelings in the locker room.
“First you have to put yourself in a position to win, but then you have to cross the finish line. In these moments, we make mistakes and do not take responsibility.
United skipper Bruno Fernandes echoed his manager’s remarks and warned his teammates against celebrating the victory.
The Portuguese scored in the penalty shootout and was one of his team’s best players.
He said: “We will never succeed if we (only) win the FA Cup. The level of this club is much higher than what we have done so far. We have to do better in the league, in the League Cup and in Europe. We need to do so much better.
Ten Hag also lamented the decision to award Coventry their penalty at the end of normal time, for a handball against Aaron Wan-Bissaka, saying he feels his team are “cursed” in these situations.
Ten Hag lamented the decision to award Coventry a penalty for a handball on Aaron Wan-Bissaka deep in stoppage time.
But despite the display, the Dutchman expressed optimism that United could turn things around against City after losing to them a year ago.
He added: “We have to face the best team in the world, but we showed last season that if we execute our plan for 90 minutes we have a chance to win.” It’s not going to be easy but we have an opportunity and we must seize it.
