By Peter Hall
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – After seeing his in-form side come from behind to beat Barcelona in a thrilling game at Old Trafford on Thursday, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insisted his team can beat anyone as they hunt for a first major trophy since 2017.
United remain in four competitions this season after earning a 2-1 victory in their Europa League playoff second leg to knock out the Spanish side 4-3 on aggregate.
Getting the better of a team eight points clear at the top of LaLiga and playing with an intensity rarely seen at Old Trafford since Alex Ferguson was United manager filled Ten Hag with confidence.
“You need a strategy to build but also you need results to get that strong belief,” Ten Hag told reporters.
“This is another step because when you can beat Barcelona — one of the best teams in this moment in Europe — your belief can be really strong because then I think you are able to beat anyone.
“It was a magnificent night. I think it is brilliant when you can beat Barcelona, eight points ahead of Real Madrid in LaLiga and we have seen this week Real Madrid playing (against Liverpool). We did a magnificent performance.”
It is not the first time this season United have come from behind in a big match at home, having beaten Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 last month after falling behind.
Ten Hag praised the character of his players.
“We have great personalities in this team, starting with David (De Gea), Rapha (Varane), Licha (Martinez), Casemiro, Bruno (Fernandes), such winning types,” he said.
Brazilian forward Antony scored the winner against Barcelona after coming on as a substitute at halftime.
“Everyone has such a strong belief in this team and the fight in this team,” Ten Hag said. “You can see it with the subs, they are coming on and bringing energy and quality and a different dynamic in games.
“I think all the subs, not only in this game but in many games before, did brilliantly.”
(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Ed Osmond)
