Just over a week ago, Erik ten Hag angered Newcastle United fans by calling Eddie Howe’s team ‘annoying’. Now the Manchester United boss has been made to look like quite the hypocrite.
Ten Hag‘s Manchester United side were humiliated on Sunday afternoon, losing 7-0 to rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
It was an incredible scoreline, and one that no one could have predicted at half time. The Reds were 1-0 up at the break, after what was a tense opening 45 minutes.
Chances were few and far between in the first half, with Man United doing their best to frustrate Jurgen Klopp’s men. They took an eternity on goal kicks, free kicks and throw ins, breaking up play and slowing the game down, much to the anger of the Anfield faithful.
It worked in the first half, then absolutely backfired. The Red Devils were embarrassed, losing 7-0 just one week after beating Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.
While the result didn’t do Newcastle any favours, it was nice to see Man United and Ten Hag receive a humbling so soon after his unnecessary comments about Howe’s side.
What Erik Ten Hag said about Newcastle before Carabao Cup
In the buildup to last week’s Carabao Cup final, Ten Hag launched a strange dig at Newcastle.
“They do really well, they’re an annoying team to play against, so we have to find a way to win,” he said.
“They try to annoy you. We have to make sure we play our game and focus on our game.”
When asked if he was calling Newcastle ‘annoying because of time-wasting, he responded: “Yeah. For instance, so if you see from the FA, the referees want to play an effective time. They have the lowest in the league and they are quite successful with it.”
It was a totally needless comment from Ten Hag, as he accuses Newcastle of doing something that literally every team in the Premier League does. Gamesmanship is a huge part of football, yet it seems to be a major problem when Newcastle do it.
Fast forward a week to Liverpool vs Manchester United, and the away side are wasting every second they can as they look to frustrate the Reds. They ended up with egg on their face, losing 7-0 to their biggest rivals.
It doesn’t change a thing about last week’s cup final defeat, but the Man United boss certainly does look foolish. Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, right Erik?