"It was an absolutely disgusting performance" - Gary Neville slams Manchester United after their 3-0 loss to Tottenham
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville launched a scathing criticism of the Red Devils' first-half performance in their 0-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 29). Neville labeled it United's "worst performance" during commentary for Sky Sports.
Manchester United welcomed Tottenham to Old Trafford, hoping to return to winning ways following draws in their last two games. Ange Postecoglou’s men were the better of the two from the very start as they came out aggressively.
Spurs' efforts paid dividends in the third minute, thanks to a daring burst forward by Micky van de Ven from his own half into United’s penalty box. He released a pinpoint pass for Brennan Johnson, who comfortably slotted the ball home.
Despite taking the lead early on, Spurs didn’t take their foot off the gas as they continued mounting pressure on Manchester United’s defense. The visitors should have doubled their lead in the first half as goalkeeper Andre Onana denied Timo Werner.
Things took a turn for the worse for Ten Hag’s men before the interval as captain Bruno Fernandes was given his marching orders for a clumsy challenge on James Maddison. Tottenham capitalized on their numerical advantage and scored two goals in the second half to secure a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was critical of his former side's performance in the first 45 minutes of the match and expressed his dissatisfaction while he was commentating. He said:
"In the first half they have put in their worst performance. It was an absolutely disgusting performance in the first half in effort, in quality - in everything you'd want from a football team. There are a lot of questions to answer for that group and the manager."
Neville’s assessment of United’s first-half performance seems correct, as the stats highlight their subpar display. They had expected goals (xG) of 0.40 compared to Spurs 2.01. United took three shots, compared to Spurs' 12. Postecoglou’s men also had more possession of the ball (63%), which laid bare United’s demoralizing performance.
Manchester United slumped to a new low under Erik ten Hag as they conceded more than 4.00 xG in a match for the first time in the last three Premier League seasons.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he respects his critics
After the game, Erik ten Hag stated that he respects his critics, saying that some of their criticisms are good advice. Manchester United have begun their 2024-25 campaign discouragingly, and the Dutch manager has received the brunt of the blame for the unwanted performances.
In response, Ten Hag said he respects the criticism he’s been receiving. He said (via GOAL):
"Yeah, first of all, respect the criticism. There are many. You can have an opinion about football, when you are in a job, you have to deal with this. But I can't take every criticism into account. I don't read, of course, all the criticism, not even possible, but I don't want either to know."
"It's about: I need to know some, and some are very good advices... but for me, it's stay clinical, and see where the team is, which areas we have to improve. Stay also methodical, that you guide the team in the right pathway, and make sure you make the right steps to get the best out of the team."