There is no point in reaching the finals unless you win them. Those are the thoughts of manager Erik Ten Hag after his side advanced to the Carabao Cup final after thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 following a two-legged semi-final tie.
Already at a huge advantage following a 3-0 win away at City Ground the previous week, Erik Ten Hag wasn't taking chances as he named a strong starting eleven for the return leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final clash at Old Trafford.
Manchester United added more goals, thanks to Anthony Martial and Fred's second-half strikes, to ensure they set up a meeting with Newcastle United, who defeated Southampton on a 3-1 aggregate in the semi-final.
Manchester United obviously advanced the game with a lot of caution and tried to ensure Nottingham Forest didn't attempt to cause any form of upset or comeback. The Red Devils met the spirited side of Steve Cooper with a tricky approach, which the manager explained in his postmatch interview.
Erik Ten Hag explained he was expecting a Nottingham Forest upset, so he told his side to keep passing the ball around. The manager was quizzed on whether he was frustrated by Manchester United having to wait for a longer period before finding the back of the net.
"Frustrated, that is a big word," he replied.
"I think when you play such games, you have to be a little smart and don’t go where they set up a trap." Don’t dive in; don’t give anything away because you know that, at certain points, they have to come and they will want to come back in the game.
"So, keep the ball and keep passing it around." which is what we had to do, and we should have done more movements. movements behind, like quick switches or things like that. and we didn’t create that. "I think we needed the impact from the bench today," he explained.
"Also, the first 15 minutes after halftime, the tempo was higher, and we created some chances."
The manager rued the match official's decision regarding Manchester United's penalty appeal after Wout Weghorst was fouled in Nottingham Forest's box but was glad his substitutes helped to ensure Manchester United eventually found the back of the net.
"It was definitely a penalty with Wout [Weghorst]. "What's true is the subs came on with a different dynamic, also bringing Bruno [Fernandes] out to the right, a different dynamic that makes it difficult for an opponent to defend."
The manager wasn't totally happy with the team's performance when asked about the tempo of the game.
"When you win this round, the semi-final, and go to the final, it's okay," he said.
"The first half wasn't great, to be honest." "I think it was professional how we played, but the tempo was too low, too slow, and we didn't create chances."
"We allowed them two good chances, and that must not happen," he stated before continuing, "but I think the second half was better." more tempo, and I also think we made some good goals. "There were more movements, and to win 5-0 over two legs, it's okay."
Manchester United will play against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final on February 26 at Wembley Stadium.
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