‘It was easy’ - Erik ten Hag criticises Man Utd players after 2-2 draw against Tottenham

Erik ten Hag said it was ‘easy’ for Tottenham Hotspur to score against Manchester United in the second half of Thursday’s Premier League encounter.

The sides drew 2-2, a scoreline that seemed unlikely at half-time with United two goals ahead via Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. The Red Devils dominated the opening 45 minutes but struggled after the break with Spurs taking control, as Ryan Mason’s side got back on level terms thanks to Pedro Porro and Heung-min Son strikes.

It very much felt like two points dropped for United after the game and Ten Hag was disappointed with the performance of his players, even in the first half.

“Of course when you’re 2-0 up then you are a little bit disappointed when you draw,” the Dutchman said on BT Sport. “It’s obvious. We have to take that and we had the chances after the 2-1 for the 3-1, but then we concede a goal. After this week, 2-2 is a good draw.

“We needed to score the second goal and it came just before half-time, but to be honest they could have made the equaliser just before we scored. We were that not good over 90 minutes, and in the first half we didn’t play brilliantly but we were up 2-0. Then after half-time we needed to score another goal.”

Asked what his side could have done better in the second half, Ten Hag replied: “Manage the game, keep the ball - we gave too many easy balls away. I have a good defending organisation which we didn’t always have.

“For the goals, we didn’t block the crosses and you have to be proactive there, we have to come out to block the shot with the second goal. We didn’t squeeze out and it was so easy for them. It was easy to score a goal.”

The point leaves United in fourth place in the table, six points clear of Spurs and Aston Villa, the two sides closest to the Champions League places. However, with United having two games in hand, it means they’re in prime position to finish in the top four.