Erik ten Hag was pleased with his team’s performance in the second half of their 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Manchester United were comfortable throughout the game, but didn’t get going until the second half.
In his post-match interview, Ten Hag said:
???? “The first half wasn’t great, I’ll be honest.”
Erik ten Hag reacts to reaching his first final as Manchester United manager! pic.twitter.com/k5S7fKp7di
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 1, 2023
“We were up 3-0, so I didn’t want to give them any momentum.”
“They were waiting for an opportunity to get into the game.”
“We were looking for gaps, but I think Forest played well, defended compactly and we didn’t find the gaps.”
“Of course, when you win a semifinal, it’s fine. The first half wasn’t very good, to be honest.”
“I thought it was professional but too slow, and we didn’t create too many chances.”
We allow them. The second half was much better and with more rhythm, and we scored good goals”.
“I think we played professionally, but the pace was too slow. We allow them to create chances. In the second half, the pace was better and we scored some good goals.”
Ten Hag was asked about Jadon Sancho and his new role. The 22-year-old played the number ten position today and looked good.
The United boss said:
“He can also play as a 10.”
Ten Hag said that 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 bit of a hiccup against Arsenal.
“We’ve had to make a lot of compromises in the season so far, so hopefully now [all players back from injuries] They are all available.”
“If you want to win trophies, you need everyone to be available. You saw tonight that you can bring a new dynamic off the bench.”
