Erik ten Hag has said Manchester United were by far the better side despite suffering a late 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Sunday, courtesy of Jarrod Bowen's stoppage-time penalty.
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The Red Devils can count themselves unlucky, having dominated much of the match with 57 per cent possession while they had 18 shots on goal, along with more passes and touches than the Hammers, whose penalty came after VAR recommended an on-field review following a collision between Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings.
“Football is not always the best team winning," Ten Hag told the club's official website.
"Today it’s very obvious and clear. Today we were far better than the opponent and there are two things: we didn’t score and it was a very poor decision from the referee – on-field and definitely also off-field.”
'We have to stay together, keep fighting'
A fourth league loss from nine matches leaves Man Utd in 14th, with their second-lowest points tally of 11 after nine matches of a Premier League season. Only in 2019/20, with 10, have they had fewer points at this stage.
However, Ten Hag says his side will show more character and continue fighting despite their latest setback.
“I feel really compassionate for my players. They played so well, they fight so hard together, they are so determined to come into those situations and so not to kill them is very frustrating.
“Now we have to show even more character. If so much is going against us, we have to stay together, keep fighting and keep the spirit. When you are winning games, it's a motivation, it is fuel to give teams confidence and a strong belief.
"Then you can make steps forward and now we go back and we have to deal with this disappointment and this frustration, but we will do. We are strong, the staff is strong, we will keep fighting for Man Utd and we will go again on Wednesday [in the EFL Cup].”
