Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes a lack of belief shown by his players from the very first whistle was the catalyst for their humiliating 6-3 derby defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Hat-tricks from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland swept United aside, firing City into a 6-1 lead with just under 20 minutes still to play. However, the Reds did ensure that they made the scoreline look a little more respectable by full time, scoring twice late on through substitute Anthony Martial.
Nevertheless, the damage had long since been done, with United, in the first half, failing to deal with a rampant City side, who were inspired by goalscoring machine Haaland. He scored twice and grabbed the assist for Foden's second, meaning Pep Guardiola's side were 4-0 up by the half time interval.
