Ten Hag Questions VAR Calls, Laments United’s Finishing Woes in West Ham Loss
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag expressed his frustrations with VAR and his team's inability to finish after a 2-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday, a result that sees his side slip to 14th in the Premier League standings.
The match's turning point came in stoppage time when a penalty decision was awarded to West Ham following a VAR review. Jarrod Bowen converted the spot-kick, securing three points for the Hammers and leaving United with another costly defeat. Earlier in the game, Crysencio Summerville had put West Ham ahead with 16 minutes remaining, only for United's Casemiro to bring the score level soon after.
Ten Hag voiced his disappointment with the penalty call, which was given after Matthijs de Ligt's challenge on Danny Ings was reviewed. He highlighted inconsistencies in VAR decisions, referring to a recent incident where United captain Bruno Fernandes had a red card rescinded after being sent off in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham. "Before the season they explained the process of VAR - only when (it is) clear and obvious they should interfere," Ten Hag remarked. "What they didn't do against Spurs, that was a wrong decision. Now they make a wrong decision interfering and both have big impact on the games. I don't criticise the personnel, I criticise the process."
Despite his grievances with VAR, Ten Hag was quick to note his side's recurring issues in front of goal, with Diogo Dalot missing an open net, while Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho also squandered key chances in a dominant first-half performance. Reflecting on the match, Ten Hag stated, "We created so many chances, played so good football, especially in the first half. How I want my team to play in and out of possession... Six or seven 100 per cent chances we should have scored. That is a point of improvement. But overall I had not so many criticisms of my team, apart from not scoring."
United's attacking struggles have been a theme this season, with the team recording just eight goals in their opening nine league games – the lowest goal count they have seen in the Premier League era. This lack of finishing has contributed to their difficult start, with only three wins out of nine league matches, in addition to three draws from their Europa League fixtures.
However, Ten Hag maintained that his team's recent performances, including a 2-1 victory over Brentford and a 1-1 draw at Fenerbahce, showed progress. "At this moment the luck is definitely not on our side. Last season was not different and near the end we turned it around," he commented. "We are so determined it will be the same (this season). We have to turn this around and it will turn around if we keep playing like we are now. Brentford, Fenerbahce, today, we played really good football."