"Solid performance from all" - Erik Ten Hag after dominant display at Forest

Manchester United moved back up to 3rd in the Premier League with a comfortable 0-2 victory at Nottingham Forest.

"Solid performance from all" - Erik Ten Hag after dominant display at Forest
Photo Credit: Will Palmer/Allstar
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By Ryan Sheppard

Erik Ten Hag remarked that Manchester United produced a "solid performance" as goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot ensured victory at The City Ground with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

The Red Devils bounced back from their Europa League collapse in midweek against Sevilla with a dominant display against their opponents, with the Dutchman implying that his side should be winning every game because it is Man United.

He said: "That has to be the approach. I know it won't always work out and if you play so many games sometimes you get set back, a draw in this league. We make mistakes, bad luck... but you have to learn from the mistakes you make."

  • Eriksen and Fernandes superb with Sabitzer ruled out

Two players that stood today for United were Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen. The Dane was originally named on the bench for today's game but on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer pulled out of the warm up before kick-off. This meant Eriksen moved straight into the starting eleven, and alongside Bruno and Casemiro, United's midfield was seamless.

Ten Hag after the game commented: "Christian Eriksen is not a weakness when you bring him into the team, and he played a brilliant game together with Bruno Fernandes in the midfield.

"You would say that having Eriksen is not a disadvantage to the team coming in today.

"They can rotate and they do. In certain games they have different roles and especially the role from the left was important for the togetherness with Diogo Dalot."

  • Antony the star off the show

The Brazilian made the difference for Ten Hag's side - scoring his fourth Premier League goal of the season in the first-half and it was his darting run and brilliantly timed pass which allowed Dalot to seal the three points. He has often been criticised for a lack of goals and assists since making the move from Ajax to United in the summer.

"Very good. That is the step he has to make. If you want to be successful in the Premier League or any top league in world football, you have to contribute in the final third." Ten Hag commented to beIN Sports.

  • From nine defenders to four - injury crisis piles up for United

Ten Hag's side have been dealt a blow in recent weeks with injuries. Lisandro Martinez will miss the rest of the season with a fractured metatarsal, Raphael Varane went off also against Sevilla in midweek with an injury.

The Dutchman's squad has been further depleted with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Alejandro Garnacho, Scott McTominay and Tyrell Malacia all out for the foreseeable future with their respective injuries.

"Last week I had nine fit top defenders, now I have four. We need all our players, we are still in three competitions, we need all the players to form  a top team."

However, Ten Hag did praise the centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who helped David De Gea keep his fourteenth clean sheet of the season, with the Spaniard now leading the golden glove ahead of Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale respectively.

"Very good, a really solid performance from all on the pitch today. Centre backs had great co-operation, full backs were brilliant in and out of possession. [Harry] Maguire and [Victor] Lindelof dominated their opponents."