Erik ten Hag praises three Man Utd players after 3-2 Europa League win over Omonia Nicosia

Erik ten Hag praised the contribution of substitutes Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial after Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night.

The Red Devils trailed 1-0 at the break against the Cypriot club, with Karim Ansarifard putting Neil Lennon’s side ahead in the 34th minute.

While United dominated most of the game they failed to create any clear-cut openings in the first 45 minutes. But that changed after the break following the introductions of Shaw and Rashford, with the latter getting United on level terms soon after the restart.

Martial was then brought on after 62 minutes and he made an almost immediate impact by scoring from Rashford’s flick just outside the area.

The England forward grabbed a second late on when he tapped in at the back post following Cristiano Ronaldo’s shot towards the back post, before Nikolas Panayiotou netted in the 85th minute to set up a tense end for the Red Devils.

But it was Ten Hag’s changes that turned the tide of the encounter in Cyprus, and Ten Hag was thrilled with the performances of his three substitutes.

“I think Marcus and Luke definitely [were sharp] but Anthony Martial as well,” the former Ajax manager told BT Sport. “I think the subs had a real impact today and that makes the team stronger.

Asked what he told the players to change at half-time, Ten Hag responded: “Some things; more runs. We were too static and we needed to make the opposite movements to get behind. That’s why, also, we made some subs at that time and they had a real impact.

“I think we started well and then an unnecessary down,” he added. “That cannot happen and you have to take responsibility there. But then a really bad 10 minutes [before half-time].”

Martial was ‘missed’

Martial’s contribution in the second half will be seen as a real boost for Ten Hag, who has been forced to start with Rashford up front at times this season, despite the 24-year-old best suited to the left wing.

Martial’s goal against Omonia means he has now netted three in less than an hour of football over the last five days, following his two-goal cameo against Manchester City at the weekend.

But after injury curtailed the start of his season, Ten Hag said Martial’s absence has impacted United’s performances over the past two months.

“It was a big disappointment for me when he got injured in the last 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid [in a pre-season friendly],” he opined. “We missed him in the first couple of weeks and that had an impact on performance.”