Manchester United's manager Erik ten Hag has branded the media response to his team's recent FA Cup semi-final performance against Coventry City as "embarrassing" and "a disgrace." Despite advancing to the final, the narrow victory has been met with significant scrutiny.
The match saw Manchester United nearly squander a 3-0 lead against the Championship team, eventually progressing to the final only after a tense penalty shootout. The victory set up a rematch of the 2023 FA Cup final against Manchester City, which City won 2-1.
Addressing the intense criticism from the press, Ten Hag expressed his frustration with the reaction to the team's performance, particularly highlighting the negative press coverage. "One was made to question - Is it embarrassing? No, the reactions from you (media) was embarrassing," he stated.
"Football is about results," Ten Hag continued. "We made it to the final and deserved it. We lost control for 20 minutes and were very lucky in the end but we made it to the final. That is a huge achievement."
Despite the criticism from media and football experts, Ten Hag remains focused on the positives. The upcoming FA Cup final against Manchester City will mark his second in just two years managing United, demonstrating consistency in reaching the late stages of key competitions.
When questioned about whether he understood the negative sentiment towards the team’s performance, Ten Hag firmly disagreed. "The reaction from you [the media] was embarrassing. Twice [two FA Cup finals] in two years, it is magnificent. For me as manager, four cup finals in four years. The comments are a disgrace.”