Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag admitted they should have scored more goals after their third-round FA Cup 2-0 win against Wigan Athletic on Monday night. However, the Dutchman was delighted that his team got the job done.
Diogo Dalot scored in the 22nd minute for the visitors whereas captain Bruno Fernandes was able to double the team’s lead through a spot kick. United had 14 shots on target (33 in total) and also had 67% possession but they could only convert two chances.
“The FA Cup is all about winning, it is knockout. You want to finish the job. That is what I said in the dressing room ‘job done,’” United manager Erik ten Hag told ITV.
“Oh, definitely [we should have scored more],” Ten Hag said. “In the first half I think we created five or six very good chances. I think it was very good football.
“We should have taken more, but if you don’t score you have to stay focused and I think we did that tonight.”
Diogo Dalot said scoring twice will give them a lot of confidence as they have been struggling to consistently find the back of the net.
“It gave us more confidence,” Dalot said. “We were needing the goal so we could be more calm and not rushing to score. We created a lot and could have scored more. It’s what we missed today.”
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said he “would be fuming” with Hojlund if he was Ten Hag after the Dane missed three close chances.
“They are big chances. Stop messing about. Put the ball in the back of the net,” Keane said on ITV.
Wigan manager Shaun Maloney was proud of his players for putting in the hard yards.
“Proud of my players,” Wigan manager Shaun Maloney said. “Difficult match, but a brilliant experience for our players.”
Manchester United will next take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday at Old Trafford.