Erik ten Hag could not hold back from swearing after Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford, claiming his side ‘can f***ing play good football’.
Jadon Sancho put the electric Red Devils in front in the 16th minute before Marcus Rashford doubled their lead midway through the second-half.
Mohamed Salah clawed one back for Liverpool but it was not enough to salvage a point for Liverpool, as Man United were rewarded for a scintillating display in front of home support.
Erik ten Hag struggled to hide his excitement as he dropped the F-bomb after Man United’s win
The Manchester United manager said his side ‘can play f***ing good football’ live on Sky Sports
Joining Sky Sports‘ punditry team of Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, Ten Hag was eager to praise his side in an interview after the match.
‘We can talk about tactics… but it’s all about attitude,’ he said. ‘There was communication, fighting spirit and they can f***ing play good football!
‘I wanted a different attitude and that’s what makes me satisfied. I think we can play much better and be much more dangerous.
‘We have good players but if you are a good team, you will succeed. I said to them, you have to act, be a team, be brave in giving each other options when we have the ball.’
Jadon Sancho fired Manchester United ahead with an impressive finish in the 16th minute
As the pundits took a step back in surprise at what they had just heard, Neville was in hysterics and responded to the profanity by joking ‘I quite enjoyed it’, still basking in the triumph of beating rivals Liverpool.
Pleased with the goal-scoring performances of England duo Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, the Dutch boss said: ‘It makes me happy Rashford and Sancho got the goals.
‘Bruno took the responsibility (of being captain) and he showed leadership with Varane on the pitch, they made a huge difference.
England forward Marcus Rashford doubled the Red Devils’ lead midway through the second
‘It’s not only those two – we need more leaders and you need the spirit we showed today.’
He added: ‘I was happy with it but they have to bring it every game. It starts once again with the spirit.
‘The tactical side is also part of it. You see where you can have battles. We played with speed up front, that’s quite clear. In midfield, Eriksen and Bruno could play a pass, there was a good balance and you can hurt an opponent.’