Erik ten Hag has slammed Chelsea fans for chants towards Raphael Varane after seeing Manchester United claim a draw at Stamford Bridge.
Casemiro equalised in injury time to ensure the points were shared in the Premier League clash. But the game was marred by dreadful incidents of homophobic chanting from the away end and unsavoury comments aimed towards Varane.
While he should have been celebrating a solid performance from his side, which saw them go six games unbeaten, Ten Hag was forced to answer for the chanting from United fans. He also took aim at Blues fans for their response to Varane going off injured.
The Frenchman fell to the floor just before the hour mark and left the pitch in tears as his prospects of playing at the World Cup suffered a major blow. And Ten Hag was left unhappy with the reaction he got from the home crowd.
"I think it doesn’t belong in the stands but when I call the stands, I mention the stands, I mean the whole stadium. Because also when Rapha Varane came out, it was the same, the other side, the Chelsea fans. So we all don’t do it," the Dutchman said.
The Football Association condemned the United supporters who used the homophobic chant following the game. And they insisted that they are fully focused on driving homophobia out of the game.
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"We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term. We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination," the statement read.
"We are striving to ensure our game is a safe environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct both on and off the pitch. We believe football is everybody's game, and we will continue to do our utmost to use our influence to drive meaningful change so that our game is for all."
Ten Hag meanwhile was pleased with his side's performance at Stamford Bridge. The draw means they sit fifth in the Premier League table, just a point behind Chelsea, who occupy the final Champions League qualification place.
“I think it was a good game. In the first half, we dominated the game. But also, that is why the opponent switched their system. And they made it a little more difficult for us, like we saw in the last minutes of the first half," he said.
"In the second half, I think it was even. It was a battle between two teams of the same height. And in the end, I think a point was justified. It was deserved. It was tough, when you get so short for time, you get 1-0 down, I think it is really difficult after the fourth game in 10 days to fight back.
"But the team found their energy and their strength and fought back. And that’s really big for this team. It is quite clear we want to win every game and we want, in this moment, to develop the team.
"That is what you need and getting in the right position, and we will see where we are when it is March or April. But that is a long road to go. So, for now, I am not looking at the table, I am looking at the process and the progress.”
