LONDON – Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was a relieved man on April 24, after Bruno Fernandes eased the pressure on him with a double that inspired a nervous 4-2 English Premier League win against Sheffield United.
The Red Devils twice trailed to the league’s bottom club at Old Trafford before captain Fernandes came to his beleaguered manager’s aid in the second half.
Jayden Bogle took advantage of a mistake from goalkeeper Andre Onana to put the Blades ahead and, although Harry Maguire equalised before half-time, Ben Brereton Diaz restored the visitors’ advantage soon after the interval.
Fernandes bailed out ten Hag with a penalty equaliser before the Portugal midfielder’s stunning long-range rocket put United in front with nine minutes left.
Rasmus Hojlund got the team’s fourth goal to ensure that they could finally enjoy a first league win in five games since beating Everton on March 9.
“We played quite well, also creating many more chances. Many positives. But also negatives. Conceding two goals from giveaways. It’s unacceptable,” ten Hag said.
“I’m happy with the win. Have you seen some panic? No, not at all. We were composed. We have to learn from this.”
The victory was a temporary reprieve for the Dutchman, who hopes to salvage sixth-placed United’s dismal season by winning the FA Cup and finishing high enough to qualify for the Europa League.
“We are striving to progress the team. The number of goals we are scoring in this moment is a huge progress,” he added, while praising Fernandes for “leading the team”.
Ten Hag endured stinging criticism after United stumbled into the FA Cup final with a spluttering penalty shoot-out win against second-tier Coventry City on April 21.
His team blew a three-goal lead in the last 19 minutes of normal time at Wembley and had the video assistant referee to thank for not going down 4-3 in extra time. United then booked a May 25 final date with Manchester City after winning the shoot-out 4-2.
Criticised for the sloppy performance, ten Hag launched a strong defence of his credentials on April 23, telling journalists their negative coverage of the semi-final was a “disgrace”.
But United’s new technical director Jason Wilcox has reportedly already been tasked to conduct an audit of his training methods and sometimes fractious relationships with his players.
Watching from the directors’ box, he would have witnessed United conceding their 76th goal in all competitions this season – the club’s most in a single campaign since 1977-78 (80).
It was simply another far-from-convincing display from ten Hag’s side, who have conceded 50 league goals from the 76, although victory moved them into sixth place to keep them in the hunt for a European spot.
“At the end, we came back. We put ourselves in a position where it’s tough to win games. But also it shows a bit of character,” Fernandes insisted.
“We’re scoring lots of goals. It’s just about that compactness we need to have as a team.”
While the Blades played with plenty of heart, time is nearly up for Chris Wilder’s side, who have only 16 points from 34 games and will be relegated at the weekend if they lose to Newcastle United. AFP, REUTERS
