Ten Hag accuses United players of not following rules in Aston Villa defeat

Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to Aston Villa broke their nine-game winning streak. Manager Erik Ten Hag called the team’s tactics “stupid” and the performance “unacceptable”.

Ten Hag had handed the reins over to Cristiano Ronaldo as captain just weeks after axing him from the team due to Ronaldo walking out of the game against Tottenham early and refusing to come on as a substitute. The result was their first loss in six league games that left United out of the top four. Ten Hag accused the players of not following the game plan.

“I’ve been in football a long time. They are people; human beings are not robots,” said Ten Hag. “Sometimes it’s the way it is and it’s psychological. But it’s not acceptable.”

“We have to be ready for every game and not give games away so easily,” he said. “When you start a game like this, you get beat.”

Early goals from Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne put United behind quick. Luke Shaw gave them some hope with a goal before the half, but Jacob Ramsey dashed those hopes right away with another goal in the second half.

“It’s not acceptable that you concede a goal so quickly in the second half on the counter,” said Ten Hag. “Our players are experienced. You have to read the game and get right the organization. Not concede two goals [early in the game] - that’s totally unnecessary.”

This win for Aston Villa was their first home league victory over United since 1995. United will look for redemption when they host Aston Villa again on Thursday in the third round of the League Cup.