Ten Hag’s bold moves pay off in Man United win vs. Liverpool

MANCHESTER, England – So it turns out that Erik ten Hag can motivate and lead his Manchester United team to victory against a formidable opponent.

Man United's 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool on Sunday answered so many questions about the manager's ability to make it count when it counts, on a day when Old Trafford looked like the fortress impregnable of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

In a thrilling match that had absolutely everything, substitute Amad Diallo's winning goal in stoppage time at the end of extra time sealed an FA Cup semi-final against EFL Championship side Coventry City next month. Amad, whose season was blighted by injury, was sent off for a second yellow card after removing his shirt in celebration in perhaps the most unsympathetic dismissal of the year.

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With Ten Hag's future as United manager still anything but assured, there is no shortage of irony in the fact that Coventry are managed by Mark Robins – the man often credited with keeping Ferguson in a job with a United's decisive goal in an FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest in 1990. Could Robins once again hold the fate of a United manager in his hands? Ten Hag certainly doesn't hope not.

We already know that manager Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season and this defeat means he won't be celebrating a quadruple when he walks through the exit door at Anfield.

That was down to Ten Hag who found a way to turn a losing situation into a winning one with some bold substitutions as United chased the game. Then, Ten Hag threw caution to the wind as they played out the final minutes of extra time with Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes forming a makeshift trio.

“United took a lot of risks, I absolutely respect that,” Klopp said.

How much of this was by chance or design remains up for debate, but Ten Hag at least influenced the outcome of the game. His first change, replacing Rasmus Hojlund with Antony, paid off when the he Brazilian winger made it 2-2 at the end of regulation time with only his second goal of the season.

At this point, Ten Had had also introduced Christian Eriksen and Amad for Kobbie Mainoo and Raphaël Varane – two attacking players in favor of more defensive players. Although they seemed like desperate measures for desperate times, his decisions paid off.

After taking the lead in the 10th minute through Scott McTominay, United saw their advantage canceled out as Liverpool led 2-1 at half-time following goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah just before the interval.

At that moment, an air of resignation fell over Old Trafford. United have lost five times this season after scoring first – only Brentford (7) have suffered more defeats while leading – and United were trailing against one of the best teams in the world.

It seemed more likely that the day would get worse rather than better for United, but after being questioned all season about their apparent lack of unity and fighting spirit, Ten Hag's players called on all of those qualities .

“The first 30 minutes were the best of our entire season,” Ten Hag said. “We act as a team, but then we had gaps between the lines and you cannot allow that against one of the best teams in Europe.

“They dominated us. Then we made changes, we took risks and the players were wonderful. The attitude was great, a strong belief to win this game.

United rode their luck with Liverpool dominating and missing chances, but Antony's 87th-minute equalizer energized United. A win without extra time was only denied due to a remarkable miss from Marcus Rashford, when he fired home from six yards with the final kick of regulation.

When Harvey Elliott made it 3-2 to give Liverpool the lead again in the 105th minute, United looked drained of energy and confidence, but in the brief rally during extra time, Ten Hag rallied his players to one last push. And he went broke again, this time replacing defender Victor Lindelöf with attacking midfielder Mason Mount.

For so long, United fans have urged Ten Hag to be bolder, to take more risks, and here he is, answering that call with time running out against the club's biggest rivals.

The match had now become like a basketball match: end to end, gaps everywhere and opportunities for both teams to score. And Rashford, whose lack of goals contributed to Ten Hag's problems, made up for his earlier failure by equalizing in the 112th minute with a low strike beyond goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Old Trafford broke out again, but just as this classic tie looked set for a penalty shootout, Amad made it 4-3 after firing home a free-kick on the edge of United's penalty area . He ran flawlessly with Alejandro Garnacho and, after an eighty-meter sprint, scored with a shot into the far corner.

Ferguson, who retired as manager in 2013, had a big celebration in the directors' box, as did every other United fan on the pitch. This stadium has not had such an occasion since Ferguson's time as manager and, less than a month after new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe spoke of “knocking Manchester City and Liverpool off their perch” , Ten Hag had overseen a victory that derailed Liverpool. quadruple hopes.

It was a landmark victory for Ten Hag, but for United to truly be back and for Ten Hag to survive in their job, the club must enjoy their own success rather than simply prevent their rivals from achieving it.

This victory showed what the future can hold and it certainly doesn't hurt Ten Hag's chances of surviving calls for his dismissal to continue at Old Trafford. But United's next challenge is to win a Premier League game at Brentford and being able to do that, away from the emotion of beating Liverpool, is what will truly dictate the manager's future.

“We are still fighting,” Ten Hag said. “For a long period of the season we are far from this level but we are putting pressure on Spurs and Villa. Every game is a final and we lost a final against Fulham. Our target is the Champions League and the silverware.”

Ten Hag may have to provide both to have any chance of keeping his job, but this victory keeps him alive.