Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hopes his side’s dramatic FA Cup quarter-final win over arch-rivals Liverpool will prove to be the turning point of their season.
The Dutchman declared himself happy with his weekend after United snatched a 4-3 victory in time added on in extra time courtesy of Amad Diallo’s breakaway goal, having seen Tottenham and Aston Villa both drop points in the race for the top four in the Premier League.
Speculation about Ten Hag’s long-term position has increased since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a 27.7 per cent share of the club but the manager believes this victory could be pivotal.
“Every team needs a moment into a season and we have never had this moment,” he said.
“This could be the moment where the team can have the belief and energy that they can do amazing things.
“I think when you can beat Liverpool in the way we did you can beat any opponent – it is up to us to prove that point. Today we did.”
Ten Hag was asked whether the nature of this victory, achieved after they came from 2-1 and 3-2 down, was more significant than their Carabao Cup win last year.
He added: “It was a good win but I’ve had some more good wins, I can tell you. For me winning a trophy is more. Maybe it can be very important towards winning another trophy.
“I am pleased with the performance of my team, the first 35 minutes we showed again that the future of this team is very bright and there is huge potential and we have to get it out.
“We have to get to the consistency but from January onwards we are ready, we got results.
“After the first 35 minutes we had our drop, allowed Liverpool to be back in the game and we know they have a very good team but we showed resilience and determination to win this game.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted he could not find fault with his side but admitted it was the first time he had seen them struggle physically as their gruelling quest for an unprecedented quadruple finally caught up with them.
“Obviously the day was on and above the edge, it was really tough for us with all the 130-whatever minutes,” he said.
“The second half was absolutely exceptional but we didn’t finish the game off and when you leave the door open at Old Trafford it is clear they will get chances and they could score the equaliser and Marcus (Rashford) had a big chance at the end of normal time.
“They could win it there and then it got really hard for us, that was the first time I really saw my team really struggling.
“The problem was we didn’t even know who to take off. In 90 minutes it would have been fine but then with extra time our options were really not (there).
“We say we have to bring the kids in at the right moment but it was not the right moment.”
Asked who he wanted to take off, Klopp added: “Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) definitely, Wataru (Endo) definitely, Darwin (Nunez) definitely. Lucho (Luis Diaz) we did.
“The boys play all the time and the way we conceded the last two goals you could see were not on top of our game anymore – we gave two balls away but absolutely no criticism of the boys.
“They gave absolutely everything, today it was not enough and that is what we have to accept.”
Ten Hag bemoans late Burnley equaliser - 'It's so unnecessary'
Erik ten Hag was left frustrated as Manchester United "gave it away" against a spirited Burnley, who held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were on course to claim all three points when Antony pounced on Sander Berge's error to open the scoring in the 79th minute, as they looked to close the gap on fifth-place Tottenham to four points.
However, the hosts could not hold on as Andre Onana was penalised for a foul on Zeki Amdouni, who picked himself up to level from the penalty spot and salvage a point for the visitors three minutes from time.
Ten Hag was made to rue his side's wastefulness as they converted just one of their 27 shots on goal throughout the contest.
"We put ourselves in a winning position and, over long courses of the game, we dominated," he told the BBC. "We played some good football - creating loads of chances - and then to give it away in the end in the final minutes, it's so unnecessary.
"Every team gives up opportunities. But, when it is up to us, it is weird. We created loads of chances as well. We are one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league at this moment. We are creating loads of chances by playing good football.
"We lost control in the second part of the first half when we conceded some chances, but the rest of the game was ours. We were in a winning position, and we gave it away."
Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany saluted the character demonstrated by Burnley, who boosted their Premier League survival hopes by moving to within two points of safety with three games remaining.
"We are where we are in the league for a reason, so not everything can be perfect, but the mentality was perfect - the togetherness, the sacrifice for each other," the Clarets boss said.
"There is tremendous consistency in the club and the approach to each game, even in tough times. We've earned the right to believe and hope."
RB Leipzig 4-1 Borussia Dortmund: Hosts strengthen grip on fourth with crushing win
Champions League semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund suffered a crushing 4-1 Bundesliga defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig on Saturday, denting their hopes of a top-four finish.
Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho put Dortmund ahead after 20 minutes with a curling effort from the left corner of the box, but Edin Terzic's team couldn't hold on.
Lois Openda levelled within three minutes, and Benjamin Sesko pounced with a close-range finish to put Leipzig ahead on the stroke of half-time.
Mohamed Simakan made it 3-1 just one minute after the restart, then Christoph Baumgartner came off the bench to add a fourth with 10 minutes to play.
Dortmund, who host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday, stay fifth, five points behind fourth-placed Leipzig.
They will likely have to wait on confirmation of Germany earning a fifth Champions League qualification place for next season, which was made more likely by a dismal set of results for England's clubs throughout the European quarter-finals earlier this month.
Data Debrief: Dynamic duo lead Leipzig to victory
Goals from Openda and Sesko ensured Leipzig turned Saturday's game around before the halfway point, both players netting in their fourth successive Bundesliga game together.
They are the first pair of team-mates to achieve that feat since Dortmund's Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did so in February 2015.
Salah: There will be 'fire' if I speak after Klopp clash
Mohamed Salah refused to talk to the media following a touchline clash with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, saying there would be "fire" if he spoke.
Liverpool's Premier League title hopes are hanging by a thread following a 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday, and much of the discussion after the game centered on a flare-up between Salah and Klopp in the latter stages of the contest.
Salah, dropped from the starting XI for the visit to the London Stadium, was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp prior to being substituted on, with the pair having to be separated by Joe Gomez and Darwin Nunez.
Following the game, Salah made a comment as he walked through the media area, refusing to conduct interviews with the press.
"If I speak today there will be fire," Salah stated as he refused to discuss the incident.
Klopp was also not very forthcoming on the confrontation after a draw which leaves his team two points off leaders Arsenal and a point behind second-placed Manchester City having played at least a game less than both of their title rivals.
When asked about the Salah dispute, Klopp told TNT Sports: "I'm not in the mood to talk about that to be honest or look at that at all."
Klopp has just three games left of his Liverpool tenure, and despite the success he has endured at Anfield, including a Premier League title and Champions League glory, it's at risk of ending in a damp squib.
Klopp hopes his team can avoid that disappointing conclusion by finding their form again over the remainder of the campaign.
"We had to win here, we knew that, and we didn't," Klopp continued. "Now we have a little bit more time between now and the next game.
"We try to get the boys ready again and we will go again."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
