Erik ten Hag says Manchester United lifted attitude to beat Liverpool – and benched Cristiano Ronaldo still has role
- ‘I want to see a team, I want to see players who fight,’ boss says after 2-1 victory over rivals at Old Trafford
- Ronaldo and Harry Maguire were left out of starting side, but Ten Hag says former has thrived before ‘in several styles and systems’ and ‘age is not an issue’
Erik ten Hag hailed Manchester United’s fighting spirit following their stunning victory over rivals Liverpool on Monday.
United bounced back from two successive – and humiliating – defeats at the start of their Premier League campaign to beat their fiercest rivals 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Reflecting on his first competitive victory as United boss, Ten Hag told Sky Sports: “Now you see we bring attitude on the pitch and there was communication, there was a fighting spirit and there was a team, and you can see what they can achieve because they can play f****** good football.”
United have faced much criticism since last week’s 4-0 loss at Brentford but they looked a different team from the outset against Liverpool, winning with goals in each half from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Mohamed Salah pulled one back late on but the hosts – on a night when protests against the club’s owners, the Glazers, were stepped up by fans – held on.
