Manchester United coach, Erik ten Hag, emphasized that his team deserved to compete in the Champions League competition. This statement was made by Erik ten Hag after Man United defeated Chelsea in the postponed match of Week 32 of the 2022-2023 Premier League.
The Man United vs Chelsea match, which was held at Old Trafford Stadium, Thursday (25/5/2023) local time, ended 4-1. Man United’s four winning goals were created thanks to Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
This victory led Man United to the Champions League stage next season. The Red Devils complete the list of four Premier League teams that have qualified for the competition. The other three teams that confirmed tickets for the 2023-2024 Champions League first were champions Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United.
Erik ten Hag is happy that Man United have qualified for the Champions League. According to him, it is not easy to achieve this result with tough competition in the Premier League. The Dutch coach also considered that Man United really deserved to be in the biggest club competition on the Continent.
“This club deserves to be in the Champions League. It’s not easy in the Premier League, there’s a lot of competition for that,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports. “It’s amazing when you get it (qualify for the Champions League),” Ten Hag continued.
Man United last played in the Champions League last season. They qualified for the knockout phase as group winners ahead of Villarreal. However, Man United could not say more at that time after being knocked out in the round of 16 with a 1-2 aggregate defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Man United then failed to qualify for the Champions League this season and played in the Europa League until the quarter-finals after losing to Sevilla. Furthermore, Man United will host Fulham at Old Trafford Stadium in the last week of the 2022-2023 Premier League, Sunday (28/5/2023).
Man United can still end the season in third place in the Premier League standings if they beat Fulham. The Red Devils are currently in third place with 72 points, two points ahead of Newcastle who are in third place with a record of 70 points.
