ten Hag defended his decision to hook Marcus Rashford at half-time – after his Manchester United players blew their chance of victory.
United were leading 2-0, only to trail 3-2, before substitute Harry Maguire rescued a draw with a 91st-minute header, after skipper Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a second yellow card. Rashford scored United’s opener and set up Rasmus Hojlund for the second, but Ten Hag replaced the forward at the break, citing his culpability for Porto’s goals as part of his thinking.
Asked why he replaced Rashford at the break, when he was United’s best player, Ten Hag said: “We have to rotate. Alejandro Garnacho has to play. We have a tough game on Sunday at Aston Villa and we need players to be fresh
“I will have to watch it [Porto’s first goal] back but I think, over the left side definitely, we didn’t defend well tonight and Marcus also played a part in this. But, as I say, it had to do with Garnacho and nothing against Rashy.
“We scored two great goals and then we switched off. We don’t keep possession and defending, we’re switching off. We conceded the first goal, totally unnecessary, then you light up the fire in this stadium and it becomes very tough.
“But I don’t judge us at this moment. I judge us at the end of the season. We’re in the process. Just wait. We have to develop this team. We will work and continue. We will fight.
“We started the game very well, we dominated, we scored two goals, but then we lost control. The middle part was not good, the ending was very good, but the defending we have to improve.”
Maguire admitted United’s players held a dressing-room inquest after the game and said: “After every game we analyse and speak among ourselves. The manager spoke, some members of staff spoke and the players spoke
When you get 2-0 up away from home, you have to be a little bit more solid and there were far too many gaps. Too many crosses were coming into the box for sure and they ultimately punished us for it.
“It’s something we need to focus on. It’s happening far too many times. Every time you concede, you have to reset and go back to the game-plan which got us in the lead. It’s something we need to improve. If we want to be successful this season we can’t keep conceding two goals.”
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