Erik ten Hag hails Man United's 'team spirit and fight' in Burnley win

09/24/2023 Soccer

Erik ten Hag hails Man United’s ‘team spirit and fight’ in win at Burnley as the Dutchman is pictured in post-match chat with director of football John Murtough at Turf Moor

  • United beat Burnley 1-0 on Saturday evening thanks to Bruno Fernandes’s volley
  • It meant they ended their three-game losing run and rose to eighth in the table
  • Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hailed his Manchester United side after they ended their losing run in beating Burnley on Saturday.

The Red Devils secured a 1-0 win at Turf Moor thanks to Bruno Fernandes’ volley, ending a three-game losing streak following losses to Arsenal, Brighton and Bayern Munich.

It wasn’t plain sailing for Ten Hag – who was pictured after the game speaking to director of football John Murtough, but his side moved up to eighth in the league table with the victory, though they are still four points away from the top four.

But it was a win to stop the rot against a home side that were up for the match, and who hit the post through Zeki Amdouni and enjoyed more of the ball and efforts on goal.

Ten Hag points to his side’s resilience after the match, with United again missing a number of players through injury, including Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in defence.  

Erik ten Hag praised his side’s ‘spirit and fight’ as they beat Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday evening

Bruno Fernandes’s strike was enough to ensure United ended their three-game losing streak

Ten Hag was seen speaking to United director of football John Murtough (left) after the game

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‘It was clear. Of course we needed that win,’ the Dutchman told BBC. ‘We had a tough run of games against good opponents. It wasn’t necessary to lose those games. Today was must-win.

‘The team spirit and how they fight together [was impressive]. It was a team attacking with 11 and defending with 11. They supported each other.

‘A lot has been against us, like injuries and decisions, like tonight. Murphy’s Law where everything goes against us. You have to fight and find a turning point. It shows the dressing room is together, they fight together.’

Jonny Evans was part of the United defence that kept a clean sheet in the Northern Irishman’s first start since rejoining the club, and he also played the ball for Fernandes to fire in from.

Ten Hag praised Jonny Evans (left), who provided an assist and kept a clean sheet in his first start since returning to the club

He thought he had given his side the lead in the first half but for it to be ruled out for Rasmus Hojlund standing in an offside position, but he received the plaudits from his manager for his performance. 

‘In stages of the all the games we’ve played we’ve played good football but if you want to win you have to do it consistently,’ Ten Hag said. ‘That was a brilliant spell of the game. The pass from Evans was brilliant, the movement and finish from Bruno too.

‘Last year we had the most clean sheets in the Premier League. We were disciplined and followed the rules. When we do that it’s difficult to play against Manchetser United.

‘He [Evans] gave the team calmness. His skills were brilliant, as with the goal.’

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