The Scot bagged a brace to secure all three points against Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
Scott McTominay has credited under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag with masterminding Manchester United’s much-improved display in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
The Red Devils had been hugely criticised for a lacklustre and disjointed performance at St James’ Park against Newcastle at the weekend, but they bounced back with a display full of verve and attacking intent at Old Trafford.
They took the lead through McTominay early on and could have been out of sight by half-time, with Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty, but were pegged back just before the break by a fine effort from Cole Palmer.
United continued to pour forward in the second half and McTominay reclaimed the lead with a close-range header, with the hosts seeing out the win despite failing to add to their tally amid a flurry of chances.
There had been criticism of United’s lack of work rate against Newcastle, with reports also emerging that some of the squad were unhappy with Ten Hag’s methods and how hard he was pushing the players in training.
United absolutely denied the reports of discontent and the team, led by an energetic front three, worked tirelessly all night against Chelsea, with McTominay saying Ten Hag had switched things up in training to ensure they were fresh for the match.
Asked what was the key in terms of the side’s vastly improved mentality in the match compared to at Newcastle, McTominay told Amazon Prime Video: ‘Obviously the manager, to be honest with you.
McTominay is United’s top scorer this season (Picture: Getty)
‘The way that we’ve approached the game, a lot of light training sessions to keep energy, to keep fresh, and to keep going for the next game – because obviously they come really thick and fast.
‘But for us it’s a night that we should be happy with, and one that we can build on.’
On the need to bounce back from the loss to Newcastle, he added: ‘We started really, really well in the game and obviously the fans are really happy with the way we started and reacted after a pretty abysmal display against Newcastle, to be honest.
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‘All the boys were so upset with how we coped with that game, it wasn’t anywhere near good enough, and to come here and win tonight was a plus and it’s something we can build on.’
Asked again about the rumours of dressing room unrest, Ten Hag himself told Match of the Day: ‘I don’t care about the noise. They are used to it. It was the same at Ajax but in a smaller country so less people.’
On his side’s mentality against Chelsea compared to Newcastle, he added: ‘When you are not on top form on the day, you get beaten. You need to be at your best. When you are not, you get killed. We know that and we need the right attitude every game.’
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