After Manchester United defeated Real Betis 1-0 on the road, Erik ten Hag praised his team’s strength and made a joke about how relieved he was that none of his players had personal fouls.
In the second leg on Thursday, a goal by Marcus Rashford early in the second half was the deciding factor, as United moved on to the quarterfinals of the Europa League as 5-1 aggregate winners.
With a three-goal advantage from the rematch last week, Ten Hag gave Facundo Pellistri his first senior start while also recalling Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire.
In the second half, Marcel Sabitzer, Anthony Elanga, Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho, and Diogo Dalot were also introduced, allowing Ten Hag to fully utilize his bench players.
He told BT Sport, “I think all the players did really well. “The people who came in performed well. In addition to having 11, we also have a squad.”
Although exaggerating the strength of his team, Ten Hag was happy that no players would be missing for the quarterfinals.
When asked what was best about winning, the Dutchman responded, “No red cards, no injuries. We have a sizable team, but not a large one.
Only Barcelona (22) has more clean sheets than United’s 21, but United has won more games than any other team in the major five leagues of Europe this season.
For the first time this season, United failed to have a shot on goal in the opening period of a game. Nevertheless, after Rashford’s 27th goal of the year, United improved and easily secured the victory.
Ten Hag stated, “I’m glad, but we welcome difficulties. “Betis is a tremendously good team, as we already knew. It has happened to Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“I believe we could also take the lead, but there were a few defensive transitional situations where they may score, so we need to prevent that and have better ball control.
“We didn’t always follow through, and the second half improved greatly. Yet, you can also tell that the opposition is less motivated, especially after you score the first goal.
The focus will initially shift to Sunday’s FA Cup quarterfinal against Fulham even though United is already in the pot for the draw on Friday.
Maguire should get another chance to start that game, and the United captain is anxious to prove he merits more regular playing time.
He told BT Sport, “I work hard at the training ground and that’s all you can do. “You may work hard throughout training; I gave it my all.
“Of course I want to play more and start more games, but I’m contributing on and off the field,” he said.
“It feels good to be out there leading the squad to victory, which is what matters most to myself and the team.
“Whether I’m playing or not, I try to make this club successful every day. For now, I’m primarily focused on that.”
United has won five and drawn two of their last seven road games in Europe against Spanish opposition.
