According to Erik ten Hag, Manchester United’s players may have been motivated by Douglas Luiz’s celebration after Sunday’s thrilling victory over Aston Villa.
Rasmus Hojlund’s 17th-minute goal gave the Red Devils an early advantage, but Luiz’s second-half equalizer pulled them back. The midfielder seemed to be aiming a shimmy-style dance at Raphael Varane as he celebrated the strike.
The former Real Madrid player waved his arms in exasperation at the Brazilian midfielder, evidently offended by Luiz’s insult. Varane, though, had the last laugh when Scott McTominay gave United the lead in the 86th minute, and the Frenchman raced to Villa’s number. 6 following the goal.
When questioned about whether he thought the celebration was impolite following the game, Ten Hag played it down and suggested it could have inspired his team.
“I don’t have an opinion about that and if they think this is the right thing,” he replied, “I haven’t spoken to the players if maybe it fueled them.
“I don’t know and I don’t think it’s important. It’s about us and we have to think about our game, not the opposition. We always want to control the game and dictate the game. That should be our approach for all the minutes on the pitch.”
With the victory, Villa’s lead over United in the Premier League table is now just five points, while Ten Hag’s team is still six points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place.
Now that the Red Devils have won four straight and five of the last six, their chances of qualifying for the Champions League have considerably increased.
A season that looked like getting destroyed at one stage can still be salvaged with success in the FA Cup and qualification for the Champions League next season.
ten Hag has managed to produce results and inspire his players since the start of the year and they have responded brilliantly.
