Erik ten Hag expressed his disappointment with Manchester United’s second disappointing lapse in five days, following a thrilling yet heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Chelsea. He attributed the defeat to individual mistakes and poor judgement on the field.
Securing the temporary lead of 3-2 from a 2-0 deficit, United put in an impressive performance with Antony filling in for Marcus Rashford, and two goals scored by Alejandro Garnacho. Nevertheless, rather ironically, Chelsea’s star of the match Cole Palmer, a childhood United supporter, made the game his own. The young talent not only scored an equalising goal through a penalty kick in the 10th extra minute, but also went on to score his third goal, a hat-trick, only two minutes later.
This final move by Palmer, recorded at 100 minutes and 39 seconds, became the latest victory-goal in Premier League’s history. This comes right after United’s earlier heartbreak when they conceded an equalising goal to Brentford in the final, 99th minute of the action a few days ago.
Reflecting on the defeat, ten Hag stated, “We started poorly, but managed to reach a dominant position with some truly outstanding football, and scored a few excellent goals. But, we didn’t manage the game properly in the extra time.”
“The players are familiar with their roles and yet failed to make the right choices,” ten Hag continued. “We were slow to respond to Palmer’s decisive goal. Our decision-making process has to improve. We need to read better when to keep the ball, when to pass and move, and when to switch the play, especially leading the game. Individual mistakes cost us dearly. It’s an opportunity to learn. Being a Manchester United player requires more understanding in handling such situations. In a span of five days, we’ve lost five points – it’s a bitter pill to swallow. We let slip a game we should’ve taken home.”
Match hero Palmer confessed he had no clue how his team managed to mount a last-minute surge. However, he admitted that with the extension of eight additional minutes, his team morale was significantly boosted. Beyond ecstatic at securing the match in the closing seconds, Palmer said, “It’s intense. There’s nothing better than such a victory. The third goal galvanised our fans and promised us the needed lift. With two minutes to spare, as per the boss’ signal, I took the shot. I’ve taken ample penalties before and I confidently told myself that I wouldn’t mess it up. Scoring in the very last minute was incredible.”