Erik ten Hag's five best results after Liverpool success

Karan Tejwani

• 23 Aug 2022 08:40 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United’s season was given a huge boost on Monday evening after their first win of the season: an impressive 2-1 success over rivals Liverpool.

Erik ten Hag’s side began the season with 2-1 and 4-0 defeats against Brighton and Brentford respectively, and went into the Liverpool match with little expectations.

However, they came out of it with a big win, and it was done in impressive fashion, giving the new manager a boost and more claims that he needs to be backed.

The win is one of the biggest in Ten Hag’s managerial career, so where does it rank amongst the great successes he’s had with clubs such as Utrecht and Ajax?

2-1 vs Ajax, 2017

This was when Ten Hag was still Utrecht boss, making his way to the top of Dutch football, and there’s a belief that this was the result that got him the Ajax job.

Ten Hag already had a good reputation before this result, but he took his Utrecht side to the Johan Cruyff Arena in October 2017 and won 2-1, with his tactical flexibility widely praised.

He deployed a 5-3-2 set-up, and his team were far too aggressive for Ajax – just two months later, he would return to the stadium, this time as Ajax head coach.

2-1 vs Liverpool, 2022

Considering the start Manchester United had, pressure, Liverpool’s recent record against them and the fact that his team was massively depleted in many areas, this is one of Ten Hag’s most impressive results.

His team showed the desire that they had lacked in many years before, and there was a clear tactical plan, as evident by the two goals they scored.

Ten Hag was also brilliant with his substitutions and his timing of it – this result could well be the one that announces his arrival to English football.

2-1 vs Juventus, 2019

Ajax’s Champions League run of 2019 was magnificent, and this was one of the shocking results they had on their way to the semi-final as they outclassed the Italian champions.

Ajax entered the second leg 1-1 on aggregate, and the odds were against them as they were travelling to Turin, but Ten Hag had a plan that was executed perfectly.

They fell behind early due to Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal, but Donny van de Beek equalized soon after, before their young captain Matthijs de Ligt headed home the winner in the second half.

4-0 vs Dortmund, 2021

At the start of the 2021-22 season, Ajax were one of the most impressive sides in Europe, and this result over Borussia Dortmund was evidence of that.

The Germans visited the Johan Cruyff Arena and were given a lesson in pressing and intensity, as goals from Daley Blind, Antony, Sebastien Haller and a Marco Reus own goal set up the win.

The success was part of a perfect group stage run as Ajax won six games from six, but they were disappointed in the Round of 16.

4-1 vs Real Madrid, 2019

The match that put Ten Hag on the map: Ajax went to the Santiago Bernabeu, home of the European champions and reigning Ballon d’Or holder in Luka Modric, behind 2-1 after the first leg.

However, they didn’t play with any of that pressure, putting on a show for the ages as they young core shattered Real Madrid in a display of great intensity and class.

Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Lasse Schone got the goals in this Round of 16 tie as Ajax went to the last four of the Champions League that year.