Erik ten Hag has slammed his Manchester United players after their hefty defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Dutch coach was on the end of an unbelievable 7-0 thrashing in just his first visit to Merseyside and just his second competitive match against Liverpool as United manager, with the home team only scoring one in the first half before slotting in another six in the second 45.
Despite starting the game ok and showing some semblance of control in the first half, even scoring what they thought was the opener before it was ruled offside, United clearly lost their heads and once the second goal went in, the floodgates were well and truly open.
Speaking to media after the game, ten Hag summed things up by saying that mistakes can happen but “it’s not possible to make the wrong decision in the transition and not match the runs, we didn’t track back. That is, for me, unprofessional”.
🗣️ "It's really unprofessional."
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag labelled his side 'unprofessional' following their 7-0 defeat to Liverpool ⚽ pic.twitter.com/C45RvNmAHp
ten Hag labels his team’s performance as “unprofessional”.
ten Hag went on to repeat his “very unprofessional” verdict in the post-match press conference too, going on to state that “as a team, you have to stick together. That is what we didn’t do. It is a surprise for me, I didn’t see this from my team.”
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As per BBC Sport, the 53-year-old conceded that he didn’t recognise his side in the second half: “I don’t think it is us. I don’t think it is Manchester United. It was really bad, really poor.” As well as confessing his anger, he also admitted that this was a “reality check” for the squad, especially after the “resilience” and results they have shown over the last few weeks.
Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the only one with plenty to say following the battering: captain Bruno Fernandes hinted that the result could be ‘psychologically damaging‘ for the rest of the season Luke Shaw said he and his teammates will be forced to watch back the “embarrassment” in great detail.
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Turning to the pundits, club legends Gary Neville and Paul Scholes labelled the game a “shambles” and even “criminal” at times, with the former calling out Bruno’s second-half performance in particular as a “disgrace” — the midfielder playing most of the game stuck out of position on the left wing.
🗣️ "That Man United group of players have been eaten alive in the second half!"
The defeat itself was Man United’s heaviest defeat in any competition since Boxing Day, 1931, when they were hit for seven by Wolves.
On the other hand, many went on to insist that was just a ‘blip’ for United and that they will obviously “bounce back”, but as Micah Richards told Match of the Day, it’s hard to call that result anything other than what it was: a “humiliation”.
Featured Image — beINSPORTS/Sky Sports/Liverpool (via Twitter)
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Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it
Emily Sergeant
Erling Haaland has answered the all-important question.
The question heard around the world, the question on everyone’s lips, a question that has absolutely nothing to do with football whatsoever… that’s right, he’s answered Letterboxd’s famous question of ‘what are your four favourite films?’.
If you’re unaware of what Letterboxd is, it describes itself as being an ‘online diary platform and app for film lovers’ and it gives users the chance to display their four favourite films at the top of their profile for all to see (and judge).
An extension of this has then been Letterboxd asking celebrities in press junket interviews and on red carpets what their ‘four faves’ are – and it’s gone on to become something of a phenomenon in the film world.
Everyone from massive A-list movie stars, to indie darlings and up-and-coming names have answered this question before, and now (it appears) to be Erling Haaland’s turn.
He’s not the first footballer to be tasked with question though, as the entire Spurs team was ambushed with it by former player – and famously massive cinephile – Alfie Whiteman last year, but it’s fair to say that after the summer he’s had with Norway at the World Cup, achieving international fame in the process, that Haaland is one of the most high-profile to answer it in a long while.
So, what’s on Erling’s list then?
Well, to self-confessed ‘film bros’ out there, you’re not going to find any deep cuts in this selection unfortunately, and you’re probably not going to get any recommendations for movies you haven’t seen before either, but come on, he is only a footballer after all.
Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it / Credit: Letterboxd
First up for the Manchester City striker is a pretty common pick by straight white men, it’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and he doesn’t give much of a reason for it, other than just suggesting: “I think you understand why”.
He then follows that up with Ridley Scott’s classic Gladiator, calling it ‘amazing’, before naming 2004’s epic Troy, and then rounding it out with a Christmas favourite for many, Home Alone, adding that he ‘watched it a lot as a kid, and then again now’.
As for fan reaction to Haaland’s four favourites, let’s just say it’s been mixed.
Among the 1,000+ comments on the Instagram video, you’ll find just as many people called him ‘king’ and saying he has ‘goated’ taste, as you will comments like this: “He has the most male gazed top four in history of Letterboxd.”
Manchester City reveal world-first third kit… designed by AI
Daisy Jackson
Manchester City have just revealed the club’s third kit for the season, and it’s a world-first AI-designed kit.
The new Man City and Puma kit was revealed in full this morning after days of teasing on billboards across Manchester.
For the first time in professional football history, the kit is designed by a fan, using AI.
180,000 fans submitted designs through the Puma AI Creator, with the winning design now projected on some of the city’s biggest digital billboards – on Market Street, and at Printworks.
Created by lifelong Cityzen and stills photographer Elliott, the final design is inspired by Manchester City’s iconic 13/14 season away shirt.
Elliott’s creative interpretation was crowned in January 2025 after a global fan vote.
The digital billboards show each different stage of the AI design process, from prompt to finished design, with the tagline ‘designed by one of us, chosen by all of us’.
The AI Man City kit reveal
Eagle-eyed Man City fans may have noticed a cryptic ‘loading’ screen in town on Tuesday, with just a hint of the shirt visible.
Then on Wednesday, the screens displayed: “AI prompt accepted. Fan vote confirmed. Final Manchester City 26/27 Third Kit design processing.”
Then the full reveal has taken place today, Thursday 27 August, finally unveiling the full shirt with the words: “Designed by one of us. Chosen by all of us”.
Reacting to live images of the billboards, Elliott said: “Seeing my complete design revealed on billboards in the city centre this morning was unbelievable.
“City has been part of our family’s life for as long as I can remember, so this is as good as it gets for me.
“Creativity is naturally part of my everyday life as a photographer, but it was good to turn my hand to something else and see what could be created with the use of AI.
“The 13/14 away shirt was always my favourite, so it felt like the natural starting point for my prompt. From there, it was amazing to see the technology take that spark of an idea and turn it into something I could actually shape and refine.
“To know that a shirt I designed on my lunch break will now be worn by the players is something I still can’t quite get my head around!”
The 26/27 Manchester City Third Kit will be available at mancity.com/shop and Manchester City Official Stores, with 10% off for Members and Seasoncard holders (automatically applied when logged in with a Member account online).
Danny Jones -
6th March 2023 
