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Erik Ten Hag believes it is too early to talk about the title race.
Erik Ten Hag believes his team were lucky in the victory against Leicester City, despite a dominant scoreline.
Manchester United trumped Leicester 3-0 at Old Trafford as they entered the race for the Premier League title.
The Red Devils win again
Marcus Rashford gave the home team the lead in the game's 25th minute before doubling it in the 56th. Inside the 61st minute of the game, Jadon Sancho completed a brilliant team play to bring the score to 3-0.
Manchester United are now only five points behind leaders Arsenal, and while the result and scoreline were excellent, Manchester United struggled at times in the game, during which Leicester should have scored.
Ten Hag, speaking after the match, was fixated on those periods, expressing his dissatisfaction as he thought his team did not follow the principles he set for them to play.
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"Leicester is a great team,” Ten Hag told the BBC.
"They played really well and made it really tough for us. It was also by us, we didn't follow the rules and the principles of the game from our way of play and then you get punished.
“We were lucky and it is only because of David de Gea that we don't concede a goal. Great saves, we were not disciplined, and it is not right.
Ten Hag was more impressed with his team’s performance in the second-half of the game, and he pointed out specific individual performances from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
"We came in at half-time and said it. we were 1-0 up, we knew also how to beat them because there was a lot of space in the midfield and behind their defending line.
“It was a good goal, once again a great pass from Bruno [Fernandes], great goal from Rashy [Marcus Rashford] and then we are 1-0 up. The second half was all us, and Bruno Fernandes played a magnificent game.
"The team is putting Rashford in the right positions, especially Bruno, he creates how many passes, he gives behind, he crosses in. Not only Bruno but I think he is doing a great job.
"We need all players in form but we have to follow the principles of our way of play and if we do that, we can play very well and we have seen that in the second half.
Ten Hag on the title race
Manchester United are now effectively in the title race and could clinch an unprecedented quadruple. They face Newcastle next week for the final of the Carabao Cup, and the win against Leicester brought them within five points of the league leaders, but Ten Hag has played down talks of them being contenders.
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The Dutch manager claims that they are not thinking about it right now because they have a lot of improvements to make. He also believes it is too early in the season to talk about the title race.
"We don't think about that, we think about tomorrow, we have to be a better version of ourselves and that is what we have to work for. We are in February, don't look far ahead."
Manchester United would get the chance to pick up the first piece of silverware of a possible four on Sunday, February 26, when they play Newcastle in the EFL Cup final.
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