Erik ten Hag was delighted with the performance of his side after Manchester United earned a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
Man United strengthened their grip on the Premier League‘s top four with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the decisive goal with a deflected effort past Emiliano Martinez.
The Red Devils dominated the game and created the better chances, as Casemiro came close to adding to the advantage with an effort that came back off the crossbar.
United survived a late scare when Victor Lindelof cleared off his own line to secure a deserved win, one which ended Villa’s 10-game unbeaten run and leaves Ten Hag’s team in a strong position to secure Champions League qualification.
The Dutchman was delighted with his team’s performance on and off the ball and singled out Lindelof and Fernandes for individual praise.
“A good three points but I think an impressive performance from Manchester United. We were magnificent on the ball, had good possession and pressed well,” Ten Hag told BBC Radio Five Live.
“In the second half you want to go 2-0 ahead but we didn’t so it’s always going to be a tough finish.
“[Victor Lindelof] played brilliant. He was totally in control in the area around [Ollie] Watkins.
“Bruno [Fernandes] had another great game. The plan was to play him from the right to make runs behind and he did that so well. I think our plan worked very well.”
“We look from game to game and next we have Brighton so we need to work hard again. We need to show passion again and not worry about the table.
“We are totally in control [in the race for top four], it’s all about us and it’s in our hands.”
