Erik ten Hag said he does not know the reason for Manchester United’s collapse against Chelsea in an astonishing game at Stamford Bridge.
United were 3-2 ahead with 99 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock when Diogo Dalot needlessly brought down Noni Madueke in the box and gifted Chelsea a penalty.
Cole Palmer converted and from tip-off, United lost possession and found themselves in a 4v1 situation. Nicolas Jackson wasted the chance but salvaged a corner, which led to an alarming defensive setup from United, allowing Palmer so much space in the box to rattle home his hat-trick and complete a stunning comeback.
It is the second time in a week that United have surrendered a lead deep into added time but this result against Chelsea felt like a huge blow for Ten Hag’s side, who might well be out of the picture for Champions League football next season.
The result leaves United nine points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham with eight games to go.
Ten Hag has been questioned about his tactics this season and when asked why his team folded so late in the game, he said: “I don’t know the reason. I know you have to do your jobs. They have to make the right decisions.
“We have to make better decisions. You saw how we score from counters – you saw today how much of a threat we can be. But we have to read the game and know when to keep the ball.”
“What most frustrates me is that we started the game poor, with individual errors. But I had a feeling we were dominating.
“We brought ourselves back into the game with sometimes brilliant football. Then it was stop and start. We didn’t manage it.”
