Man Utd boss Ten Hag slams decision which 'changed the game' in Tottenham defeat
Erik ten Hag hit out at Michael Oliver and VAR after Manchester United were denied a penalty in Saturday's chastening 2-0 loss at Tottenham.
The Red Devils fell behind just four minutes into the second-half after Pape Matar Sarr fired home with aplomb before an unfortunate own goal from Lisandro Martinez in the 83rd minute sealed the points for Spurs, who have made a strong start to the season under new head coach Ange Postecoglou.
But Ten Hag was left aggrieved by the decision to ignore what appeared to be a handball in the penalty area after a goal-bound strike hit Cristian Romero on the forearm midway through the first-half.
He told Sky Sports: “I liked it first half. It was a very good performance for Manchester United except you have to score. We created good chances, we had a really good press, we had good switches and we had many chances to score a goal.
“We deserved a penalty, I don’t know why [it wasn’t given]. It’s a penalty. Absolutely a penalty. It changes the direction of the ball and he’s blocking, the hand is right above [him].”
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New Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes came closest to breaking the deadlock for the visitors on the stroke of half-time - leaving Ten Hag to rue United's luck.
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Michael Oliver refused to award a spot-kick after the ball struck Cristian Romero's arm (Martin Dalton/REX/Shutterstock)When he was asked if Fernandes' attempt would have changed the projectory of the match, the Dutchman responded: “Absolutely. It is the meaning of the first goal and changes the game.
“First, we get three bookings which can’t happen, we have to stay focused, they were unnecessary bookings. Then we switch off, have two big chances we hit the woodwork. So that was no good, then the start of the second half was definitely no good.
“You have to stay on the front foot. It was totally unnecessary to concede that first goal. We didn't collapse, we fought back. But yeah we didn't score. You have to keep composed and keep creating chances. The big chance from Bruno, it was about creating more chances [after that]. Create more switches, keep working the ball instead of rushing it.”
Manchester United and Ten Hag will have the opportunity to bounce back next weekend when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford in the Premier League.
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