‘Impressive’ – Erik ten Hag lauds just one Man United player who was ‘totally in control’ against Aston Villa

Erik Ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, believes his team was “magnificent” against Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes, who broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, gave the Red Devils the lead in the first half. The Portuguese were on hand to finish at the far post, and with no response from Villa, Unai Emery’s team suffered their first defeat since a 4-2 setback to Arsenal in February.

“A good three points, but I think an impressive performance from Manchester United,” Ten Hag stated following the game. “We were fantastic on the ball, had good possession, and pressed effectively.”

“You want to go 2-0 up in the second half, but we didn’t, so it’s always going to be a tough finish.” [Victor Lindelof] performed admirably. He was completely in command of the area around [Ollie] Watkins.

“Bruno [Fernandes] had another outstanding game.” The goal was to play him from the right side to make runs behind, which he did admirably. “I believe our strategy was successful.”

“We look from game to game, and the next game is against Brighton, so we have to work hard again.” We need to rediscover our enthusiasm and stop worrying about the table.

“We are completely in control [of the race for the top four], it’s all about us and everything is in our hands.”