Erik ten Hag’s tenure as the head coach of English Premier League giants Manchester United might end sooner than he expected, since his Red Devils lost back-to-back games at Old Trafford, this time in the hands of Newcastle United in the EFL Cup Fourth Round. Having been humiliated 3-0 by their arch-nemesis Manchester City at home a few days earlier, Erik ten Hag’s side hosted the Magpies at Old Trafford but struggled to find the net once again, losing another 3-0 game to Eddie Howe’s team and the 2022/2023 EFL Cup winners’ title defence campaign this season is now officially over.
A Rematch of Last Year’s EFL Cup Final
Coming to this rematch of last season’s EFL Cup Final, Erik ten Hag’s United opened their domestic cup campaign in 2023/2024 with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, before they succumbed to three losses in their following six matches in all competitions, including last Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the 191st Manchester Derby. Newcastle, on the other hand, only won once in their previous four games in all tournaments.
Erik ten Hag’s side found themselves 1-0 down before the half-hour mark, when 20-year-old full-back Tino Livramento dispossessed a United player and charged all the way through to the opposition’s goal, before setting up substitute Miguel Almirón for the opening goal of the match. The Magpies then doubled their lead eight minutes later, courtesy of Lewis Hall. A quick freekick saw the Newcastle players ran towards André Onana’s goal and a failed clearance by Harry Maguire in the box gave the Chelsea loanee a chance for a volley, which he fired it beautifully into the bottom right corner.
Almirón’s effort and Hall’s first senior goal allowed Newcastle to gain a 2-0 advantage before the half-time break, but the Magpies were not done with their revenge on last season’s 2-0 EFL Cup defeat to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United, as they scored their third right after the hour mark. Joelinton won the ball back from Sofyan Amrabat for the visitors and Joe Willock decided to take on the entire defence of the Red Devils on his own, followed by massive strike just outside the penalty box that went past Onana, who has now conceded 26 goals in 15 matches in his young United career.
This was Newcastle’s first ever 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford 😲 pic.twitter.com/bPHQH5ENdm
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) November 1, 2023
Erik ten Hag’s Post-Match Statement
The 3-0 score line stayed till the final whistle of the match, meaning Newcastle United have avenged on Erik ten Hag’s United for last season’s defeat in the finale and are through to meet Chelsea in the quarterfinal of the EFL Cup this season. Also made into the next round were Port Vale, Middlesbrough, West Ham United, Liverpool, Everton and Fulham.
The losing manager of last night’s United-Newcastle match Erik ten Hag said this after the Newcastle game: “It is below the standards everyone expect from Manchester United – it is not good enough by far. At this moment we are in a bad place. I take responsibility for it. I see it as a challenge. I am a fighter and I am in that fight and I have to make sure that I share the responsibility with my players and that we stick together and fight together, and get better results. We have to put it right. It is my team and they are not performing.”
The 53-year-old Dutchman also added: “I am responsible. As a team we are not good enough and whatever the reasons are, there is no space for excuses. We have to do things better and we have to raise our standards because otherwise you never get the right levels of performance and never get the results. But I am a fighter. I know it is not always going up and we have a lot of setbacks this season so far, but also you have to deal with it and that is never an excuse.”
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Erik ten Hag Counting His Days?
The 3-0 loss against Newcastle United was the Erik ten Hag-managed Manchester United’s eighth defeat in 15 matches across three competitions, and they have conceded a whooping 26 goals during the process, leaving a few major questions as to whether Erik ten Hag will be fired as the gaffer of the Red Devils and when will the sacking call finally arrive.
According to the past managers at United after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, their performances were usually judged based on their second in charge of the club, and most of them did not manage to last without significant improvements after the first year. With Erik ten Hag leading Manchester United to an EFL Cup win, a third-placed finish in the Premier League and a runner-up run to the FA Cup Final last year, fans and management personnel were expecting the Dutchman’s side challenging for the league title as well as the UEFA Champions League in 2023/2024. Instead, United is now sitting eighth and third in the league and the European cup.
Based on yesterday’s match that saw United’s first team defeated by Eddie Howe’s second lineup for Newcastle, the home team did not show fighting spirits at all, indicating that Erik ten Hag might have already lost the dressing room. Coupled with his fallout with right winger Jadon Sancho, issues happened to Antony and Mason Greenwood as well as the Manchester United takeover saga, it is unlikely to see United going back to winning ways and maintain good performance anytime soon. All these might just lead us to one conclusion, that is, Erik ten Hag is on his way out as the Manchester United boss in the near future.
Check here out for the details of the public feud between Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho.
