Erik ten Hag Manchester United 2022-23Getty Images

'It's unacceptable' - Man Utd's 'attitude' questioned by Ten Hag after 'big mistakes' in Leeds draw

  • United held to 2-2 draw by Leeds
  • Ten Hag laments 'big mistakes' at the back
  • Was also unhappy with their finishing

WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils let in early goals in each half to go down 2-0 at Old Trafford, but produced a spirited comeback with goals from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to salvage a point from the Premier League fixture. However, Ten Hag was unhappy with the way his team conceded, with Bruno Fernandes dispossessed cheaply before Wilfried Gnonto opened the scoring and Alejandro Garnacho guilty of a similar error before Raphael Varane's own goal early in the second half. The United boss feels his players neglected his basic "principles" on their way to dropping two valuable points in the race for the top four.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Very poor. It's unacceptable. You start any game, but especially a derby, the way we did. We were down and had to fight back. We made big mistakes. That's to do with attitude," Ten Hag told reporters. "We were not ready to go into the duels. We lose the duels and the formation was also bad at the start. When we lost the ball, we didn't follow the principles and were quickly down. And, from the warning in the first half, the second half was the same.

"The players know we have to move. It wasn't necessary [Pascal] Struijk wins the ball there and he had to get away, with our movements we have to force them to stay low. That's not right. We have to live with it. It still doesn't mean it has to be a goal. We have to keep Gnonto on the left side and not let him come inside."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Dutch manager was also disappointed with his side's finishing as several chances went begging in the final 20 minutes, with Bayern Munich loanee Marcel Sabitzer among those to come close to scoring a winner. "Alejandro Garnacho, twice, had to score. Marcel Sabitzer twice had good shots, Raphael Varane with the header. I think, if we equalise before half-time, we win the game," Ten Hag added. "Also I think, in the last 20 minutes, when it is 2-2, we were composed and you will make chances and we created so many chances. The finishing wasn't always that good but we created them."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Marcel Sabitzer Manchester United 2022-23Getty ImagesManchester United vs. Leeds UnitedGetty ImagesErik ten Hag Manchester United 2022-23Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Manchester United will once again face Leeds in the Premier League reverse fixture on Sunday at Elland Road.

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