Erik ten Hag continues to insist Manchester United deserved at least a draw against Arsenal, despite his side losing the match 3-1.
Close to a fortnight after Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, Erik ten Hag remains convinced his side were hard done by in defeat.
Speaking in a press conference on Friday, the Manchester United manager continued to insist that his team played a good game in the fixture.
“I think we played very well at Arsenal,” ten Hag said. “You could already see before the game, we trained very well, we played very well.
“I think we deserved much more at Arsenal, it was not on our side. That was definitely the outcome of our analysis.
“But you see we are progressing, against a good Arsenal. But minimum we had to get a draw there, and I think we should have won there.
“We didn’t, but we take the performance.”
Many who watched the match would likely disagree with ten Hag’s assessment.
Manchester United rarely had the ball in threatening areas, despite having 45% of the possession, often just passing it between the goalkeeper and the centre-backs.
The United starting front three completed 41 passes between them, one fewer than Andre Onana completed on his own. Arsenal’s front three completed 78 passes, whilst Ramsdale completed just 17.
Clearly, Arsenal had their possession in more advanced areas than United.
The expected goals were heavily in Arsenal’s favour, at 2.35 to 0.98. Most importantly, the actual goals were also in Arsenal’s favour, at 3 to 1.
It’s not hard to see why ten Hag is trying to shift the narrative to suggest United were robbed, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of the club’s fanbase who agrees.