Man Utd fans furious over one Erik ten Hag decision in Fulham defeat

After Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to Fulham, one tactical choice by Erik ten Hag infuriated the supporters.

United entered the match fresh off four straight victories in the Premier League, four of which were away from Old Trafford.

It was also the first game following the announcement by the club that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had acquired a roughly 27.7% minority stake in the team.

And although Ratcliffe was not at Old Trafford to watch his childhood team play Fulham, he was in the directors’ box with his important INEOS ally, Sir Dave Brailsford.

Calvin Bassey’s strike put United behind 1-0 on the 65th minute, and the game didn’t turn out the way either man had hoped.

On 89 minutes, Harry Maguire’s close-range strike tied the score at 1-1 and gave Ten Hag’s team hope that they could stage another historic comeback at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, Alex Iwobi’s goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time gave the Cottagers, who had 17 shots on goal all game, an invaluable victory.

Although many were disappointed with United’s performance, Ten Hag was also criticised for one of his substitutes.

To give United additional attacking momentum in the 80th minute, Ten Hag chose to substitute midfielder Amad Diallo for midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.

While some fans applauded the Dutchman for giving Amad a chance, others criticised the player he benched, particularly since Casemiro had already been replaced because of an injury.

One United supporter posted on X (Twitter) and stated: “He substituted Amad for Mainoo. Bruno was present at that moment.

Someone else commented: “I don’t get this Eriksen sub man, he could’ve just kept Mainoo on.”

“Mainoo is the one holding the midfield, yet he was taken off,” cried a third.

A fourth wrote: “Every time Mainoo gets subbed early, we lose.”

“Swear it was Mainoo who buried a 95th minute winner the other day,” a fifth person said. I didn’t choose to be substituted.

However, other supporters agreed with Ten Hag’s decision. One wrote, “I struggle to find fault with the subs, Mainoo can’t play every minute.”

The United manager has acknowledged that he has substituted Mainoo in the past in order to control his workload, but it is evident that a lot of supporters believe he ought to have played the entire match against Fulham.