COACH Erik ten Hag praised the performance and influence of the duo Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in the 2-0 win over Everton in round 28 of the Premier League.
B. Fernandes (12′) – PenaltyM. Rashford (36′) – PenaltyMatch details“Rashford, Garnacho are almost unstoppable when there is space behind the defense,” Ten Hag said after the match at Old Trafford on March 9. “Garnacho is progressing very well and we are very satisfied. Garnacho made an important contribution in this match with his runs and dribbles. Garnacho gave us space to get into Everton’s penalty area. Rashford too, when he In those positions, it’s very difficult to stop.”
After two consecutive losses, Man Utd settled this match thanks to two penalties in the first half. In the 12th minute, Garnacho turned the ball to the left of the penalty area and was kicked by James Tarkowski. On the 11m mark, captain Bruno Fernandes shot to the bottom right corner to open the score. 20 minutes later, Garnacho continued to earn a penalty when his foot was stepped on by midfielder Ben Godfrey. This time, it was striker Marcus Rashford’s turn to kick the penalty kick to the left corner, doubling the gap for Man Utd.
Ten Hag applauded the audience after the 2-0 win over Everton in round 28 of the Premier League at Old Trafford on March 9. Photo: AFP
Not scoring, but Garnacho became the first Man Utd player to score two penalties in a Premier League match. This is also the first time the “Red Devils” have had two players kick penalties in the first half of a Premier League match.
“I like working with Garnacho and many other players on the team to challenge them. Garnacho needs a challenge and also likes it,” Ten Hag praised the Argentine striker. “Our mission is to push Garnacho to higher levels. Garnacho has great potential, we have to exploit that potential and therefore you have to work every day.”
Granacho (red) disputes with Everton player. Photo: Reuters
In this match, Everton played not badly, even finishing 23 times but could not score. Counting away matches in the Premier League since 2003-2004, they only achieved worse statistics with 24 unsuccessful shots in the match against Wolves in March 2010.
Ten Hag does not think that the above statistics show that Man Utd’s defense is bad, affirming that Everton did not create many clear opportunities. “Everton shoots a lot, but Man Utd defends well and is disciplined,” the Dutch coach expressed. “Everton had low quality opportunities and exposed spaces behind us for us to exploit. We are satisfied with this performance.”
According to Ten Hag, Man Utd is playing stably in 2024 and had only one poor performance in the 1-2 loss to Fulham in the previous round. The 54-year-old coach wants the “Red Devils” to continue maintaining their winning streak to put pressure on the clubs ranked above, compete for the Champions League and look forward to the match against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals on March 17.
