Erik Ten Hag: What Man Utd players did after Man City win shows a key change

New-found mentality Erik ten Hag has instilled

It is testimony to the new-found mentality Erik ten Hag has instilled that Manchester United’s players did not dwell too long on their dramatic derby win.

While United fans were still basking in the euphoria of their epic comeback, Ten Hag’s players were already turning their focus to Wednesday’s trip to Crystal Palace.  It is the kind of mindset that underpinned United’s years of success under Sir Alex Ferguson and one epitomized by stand-in-skipper Bruno Fernandes, who inspired their win over City.

“We have to look forward,” said Fernandes, speaking in the wake of United’s victory at Old Trafford. “We have to look forward to the next game because you can be closer, but if you don’t keep winning, it will go. So the mentality now has to be celebrating, because it’s a big win, it’s a long day today, so we have to celebrate that. But from tomorrow, straight away, it’s Crystal Palace. It’s always tough to play there, we all know that. So our focus has to be straight on that.

“I said it before the game to the team ‘We look like a team now’.

“Some time ago, you could see sometimes we were a team, sometimes each one of us was looking for ourselves. Now you see a proper team that works hard for each other and you see that it pays off.”

Fernandes, who got United back into the game with an equalizer, paid tribute to Marcus Rashford, who scored for the ninth game in a row at Old Trafford with his 82nd-minute winner, his 16th goal of the season.

“He’s always been unstoppable but he wasn’t getting his goals, his rewards,” said Fernandes. “He hasn’t changed his mentality, he hasn’t changed the way he trains, as many people have been saying.

“He’s always been like this. The thing is now the ball is going in, he’s getting his goals, and he’s getting his rewards for the effort he’s been giving to the team.”

Meanwhile, Luke Shaw had some winning comments as well.

“We’re still in four competitions,” said Shaw. “We’re Manchester United,  we have to aim to win every competition we’re in.

“Of course we want to win all four of them, but whether that happens or not is down to us, it’s down to the way we act, the way we rest and get ready for the next game.

“Right now, as a team, we have to make sure we have the right consistency in performances and results. It’s always about winning. If you play well or not, you need to be winning, and recently we’ve been doing that.

“Now we have to forget about this game, forget about this win because we have a massive game on Wednesday now against Crystal Palace.” 

After back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford left them bottom of the table at the start of the season, United has since taken 38 points – more than any other Premier League side.

This season, they have beaten leaders Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and now City, proof that under Ten Hag they now have what it takes to mount a serious title challenge.

Ten Hag said the thrilling derby win, achieved with the type of drama long associated with United, was the reason he came to the club, his remit to revive a sleeping giant.

This is why I came to Manchester United,” said Ten Hag. “This club is a monster. Old Trafford is a stadium with the right vibe, if you manage to light the fire, you get an amazing experience.”

Ten Hag may not admit it publicly, but United is now firmly in the title race, having closed to within a point of second-placed City.

United go to Arsenal on Sunday, where victory would make it harder for Ten Hag to downplay a title push in his first season in charge – a decade after the club’s last league triumph under Ferguson.