'Just not good enough' - Erik ten Hag disappointed as Manchester United suffer Crystal Palace defeat

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said his side’s defeat to Crystal Palace was “just not good enough.”

United suffered their third defeat in five matches, their second consecutive home league defeat, as they lost to Roy Hodgson’s side at Old Trafford.

They had beaten Palace 3-0 in midweek in the EFL Cup but Joachim Anderson scored after 25 minutes, with his effort proving the only goal of the game.

The result leaves Manchester United with nine points, in 10th position and six points off the Champions League places.

Ten Hag has endured a poor start to the season and with off-the-pitch problems continuing, he is now under pressure to match the level of performance from last season, when they finished in the top four.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Dutchman initially defended his players’ performance.

He said: "It's quite simple. We conceded only three chances over the whole game - all three from set-plays.”

However he then acknowledged that his players had not done enough to deserve victory.

“Then I think we got in good positions and then made poor decisions,” he continued.

"We got into good positions and we had free players. We didn't have an impact. The quality was just not good enough in that part of the game. The final part of the game we didn't play our best game.

"Of course it is frustrating. We were also many times close. You have to be sharp and clinical. It's about decision making. We can't change this result anymore. You always learn from the game and learn to do better from the final part of the game."

United host Galatasaray on Tuesday in the Champions League as they look to bounce back from their first group game, a 4-3 defeat at Bayern Munich.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.