Erik ten Hag admitted it wasn't the plan for Christian Eriksen to mark Erling Haaland for Man City's first goal in their 6-3 drubbing.
Haaland rose to nod in direct from a corner in the 34th minute with Raphael Varane off the pitch after receiving treatment for an apparent ankle injury.
United playmaker Eriksen appeared to be tasked with handling Haaland but he was effortlessly brushed off by the Norwegian and City scored twice more to take a 4-0 half-time lead.
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"Christian Eriksen marking Haaland? I don't understand," Ten Hag said when the strategy was raised at his post-match press conference. "It was Rapha Varane that was out. Maybe you saw it, I saw it. We missed one. An important one because of injury."
When asked if it was the plan for Eriksen to mark Haaland, Ten Hag replied. "Of course not."
Varane succumbed to injury at 1-0 and came off with United 3-0 down. Ten Hag insists he could not have continued if United were still in the contest.
"I don't think he would've carried on but, I must say, I had to get him off because when you are 4-0 down you don't want to take a risk to get a bigger injury. He couldn't carry on."
Ten Hag assured United had a collective plan to counter Haaland, who plundered the third hat-trick of his brief City career, and blamed the players' lack of belief.
"When you don't bring belief on the pitch you can stop talking about everything else," Ten Hag explained. "Yes (we had a plan for Haaland), as a team - to defend.
"And I try to explain that you have to be front foot and you have to be good in possession and when you don't do that well, two elements of football, the opponent is dictating, is dominant, enters the box and strikers like Erling Haaland have a threat, clear."
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