"I hope they can keep that going"- Erik Ten Hag lauds his players team spirit in West Ham win

Manchester United had to fight back and leave it late against West Ham in the FA Cup fifth-round tie on Tuesday night. They had to wait until deeper in the second half to put the game beyond West Ham.

 

Erik Ten Hag claimed he is proud of his side's victory and pointed out that it was a difficult game in which they struggled to get rhythm.

 

"It was not easy," he admitted after the game while speaking to Talksport, MUTV, and ITV.

 

"It is certainly ever easy when you win a cup, celebrations and, of course, you have to get back to business as usual.  And that was our task. We did it, and, finally, we found a way to win, as you say."

 

"In the first half, I didn’t expect this, and it is difficult to get into the rhythm of the game." And then we go down in the second half, and you have to fight back, and that is what they did. "I am happy; I am proud of the team.”

 

Erik Ten Hag cited that the team's resilience and belief was key to beating David Moyes' men, then he lauded his players' willingness to contribute to the team moving forward even if it requires them to start each game on the bench.

 

"The resilience of this team and the belief that they can win It was magnificent. So, great character from the team. It was in good spirit. "Not only on the pitch, but also on the bench," Erik Ten Hag explained.

 

"We see the players on the bench having an impact." They are pushing each other and supporting each other. You can see on the bench and in the dressing room that they are pushing each other, and when they come on, they have an impact. And that is very good, that acceptance, and I really like it. I hope they can keep that going because we need that good spirit.

 

Erik Ten Hag stated he believed his side would eventually win despite trailing in the second half, and he stated his players didn't panic either as they went on to grab the equalizer and eventually win the game.

 

“I had a strong feeling that we could still win that game." And you saw the belief and the composure. "It was never a moment of panic, and we had a little bit of bad luck with the first goal that was disallowed [by Casemiro] and the offside situation, but we then forced them to score," he explained.

 

The manager's statement was evidently true after his assistant Steven McClaren was spotted at full time congratulating him and telling him it was his winning mentality that helped win the game.

 

 

Manchester United will turn their attention back to the league on Sunday, with a trip to Anfield awaiting. They will be looking to hold on to third place on the Premier League table. Table leaders Arsenal beat Everton on Wednesday night to go 11 points ahead of the Red Devils and open a 5-point gap between them and Manchester City.