Roland Cutinho
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag slams Nottingham Forest’s time-wasting strategies in a comeback win
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was fuming about time-wasting tactics used by Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s Premier League game, despite the new rules.
The Red Devils quickly found themselves trailing by two goals within just four minutes. Although Forest attempted to protect their lead by slowing down the game, United managed to stage a comeback.
They scored through Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, eventually sealing a victory with a penalty by Bruno Fernandes. However, the match saw a huge 11 minutes of added time due to stoppages caused by various factors.
Ten Hag criticised Steve Cooper’s side for slow play before United eventually equalised in the second half. As quoted by the Express, the Dutch boss said:
“The rule is not right. The team was delaying from the start and they were getting rewarded for it.”
United will breathe a huge sigh of relief after going down by two goals inside just four minutes against Forest at Old Trafford. To witness such a horror start in front of the home crowd is something that was completely unexpected.
A statement win was needed to set aside the struggles of the initial two games. However, the English giants still look slightly off balance even after sealing an impressive comeback victory.
Time-wasting could have been prevented if United hadn’t given Forest such easy chances during the counter-attack. This could have helped the visitors maintain the rhythm of the game, as they would have been in search of goals.
It is always a risky thing to let your opponent score first and then run the entire game for an equaliser. We have seen such situations a number of times since last season.
United needs to pluck a leaf from Manchester City’s books and learn how to dominate games and run their show instead of making the opponents take their time on the ball.
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Ten Hag‘s side will still be happy to grab all three points against Forest and give the fans a reason to be optimistic about the new season. A much-needed win for United on a dramatic day in Manchester.
