Erik ten Hag was pleased with his team’s second-half performance in their 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Manchester United were comfortable throughout the game but did not click into gear until the second half.
In his post-match interview, Ten Hag said:
🗣 “First half it wasn’t great I’ll be honest.”
Erik ten Hag reacts to reaching his first final as a Manchester United manager! pic.twitter.com/k5S7fKp7di
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 1, 2023
“We were 3-0 up so I didn’t want to give them momentum.”
“They were waiting for one chance to get into the game.”
” We were searching for gaps, but I think Forest played well, defended compact, and we didn’t find the gaps.”
“Of course, when you win a semi-final, it’s OK. The first half wasn’t great, to be honest.”
” I thought it was professional but too slow, and we didn’t create too many chances.”
” We allowed them to. The second half was much better and more tempo, and we scored some good goals.”
“I think we played professionally, but the pace was too slow. We allowed them to create chances. In the second half, the tempo was better, and we scored some good goals.”
Ten Hag was asked about Jadon Sancho and his new role. The 22 year played in the number ten position today, and looked sharp.
The United boss said:
“He can play as a 10 as well.”
Ten Hag said he was not worried about the Carabao Cup final yet. United play Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils will be looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track after a minor blip against Arsenal.
“We have had to make lots of compromises in the season so far, so hopefully now they [all players back from injuries] are all available.”
“If you want to win trophies, you need them all to be available. You saw tonight you can bring a new dynamic off the bench.”