Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag believes that going for the win against Fulham cost them dearly at the very end of the match at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Harry Maguire cancelled out Calvin Bassey’s opener in the second half, but the defender was caught out of position deep into injury time as Alex Iwobi fired the ball past Andre Onana.
“It was a throw-in [for Fulham] in the corner, we had them under pressure and we have one player in the wrong position,” Ten Hag told BBC Sport.
“As a team we should manage that and make sure everyone is in the right position. We let them escape and it is avoidable.
“The team showed big character to fight back, we deserved the equaliser and went for the win – we showed big personality and character. It was that mistake. Before that we went for the win and we should have taken our opportunities.
The Dutchman added: “We struggled with their influence and their impact on our left side. But we reacted well and how to deal with it, how to step up from the back and once we had that we got more from the game and took control to create the chances.”
Ten Hag refused to use the absences of Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund as an excuse for the defeat. Both players are currently recovering from injury, with the Danish striker ruled out of action this week after scoring seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances for Man United.
“With the squad we had today we should have won this game,” he said. “Both halves were slow starts and we should be ready from the first whistle.
“That’s a point of criticism but the team showed big character in both halves.”
