MANCHESTER, England — Erik ten Hag has branded the negative reaction to Manchester United reaching a second successive FA Cup final as “a disgrace.”
United needed penalties to beat Coventry City on Sunday despite at one stage leading the Championship side 3-0.
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Ten Hag’s team eventually did enough to earn a place in the final, where they will play Manchester City, and the Dutchman said he cannot understand the fall-out from the performance.
“No, absolutely not,” Ten Hag said at a news conference when asked whether he could understand the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the display against Coventry.
“One question was: ‘Is it embarrassing?’ No, the reaction from you [the media] was embarrassing.
“Top football is about results, we made it to a final and we deserved it, not only by this game but also the other games. We lost control for 20 minutes, we also had bad luck. We were very lucky in the end, it is clear.
“We made it to the final, it is a huge achievement. Twice in two years is magnificent. For me as a manager, four cup finals in four years. The comments are a disgrace.”
