Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag made an honest admission after the Red Devils defeated Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the third round of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium on Sunday.
The Red Devils dominated the home side from the first minute as they continued to attack and trapped the opponents inside their half, producing the team’s best attacking displays of the season so far.
The visitors attempted a whopping 33 shots in the game with 14 of them hitting the target. However, Sam Lloyd Tickle’s impressive display between the goalposts made it difficult for Ten Hag’s men to find the back of the net but they eventually did in the 22nd minute with Diogo Dalot opening the scoring, and Bruno Fernandes doubling the lead with a 74th-minute penalty.
Ten Hag was pleased with his team’s performance at the DW Stadium but he was honest when asked about the chances of winning the FA Cup saying it is still a long shot.
"I think that is too far [away], you have to go from game to game, especially in the cup. So we take that, but now, first, all our focus is on Spurs [in the Premier League], of course,” the Dutchman said.
"The FA Cup is all about winning. It’s a knockout. If you have to replay [the tie], it’s two games, but you want to finish the job and that’s exactly the words I used in the dressing room: ‘Job done’.
"We created in the first half five or six very good chances. It was, I think, good football and we should have taken more from that, but if you don’t score, you have to stay focused and I think that is also what we did,” he added.
Man United play Tottenham Hotspur next on January 14 at Old Trafford. It would be necessary for Ten Hag to make sure that his team emerge victorious as the Red Devils are currently eighth in the Premier League with 31 points and should they taste defeat against Spurs, they would be dropped to 11th place should Newcastle United, Chelsea and Wolves won their respective matches.